Transcending Tangents
by invalid-reality
Summary: Faith Lehane is alone in the world and when she meets Dean Winchester, she discovers the world isn't all that it appears to be. Soon, her path leads her back to Buffy Summers, but the things that follow prove that changes do not come without consequences...
1. Part One: Chapter 1

_**Author's Notes**_: Just a few things to clear up before we begin. The timeline is set just a few short months after the end of BtVS S7. Everything else is non-canon, does not follow the storyline of the first season of Supernatural or the events that occurred before and during. Loose references to both shows throughout. **Warning**, this eventually evolves into femslash (Buffy/Faith), so if that's not your thing, don't say I didn't warn you. This is my first crossover fic with Supernatural. Be gentle ;)

* * *

**Chapter One**

_September 5th 2003_

The old truck rolled down the narrow road, the driving rain making it nearly impossible to see. The radio had died a few miles back leaving the only sound inside the truck was the crunch of the tires against the gravel road, the sound of the rain pattering against the window shield as the wipers squeaked and squelched.

Faith Lehane wiped her brow as she strained to keep her eyes on the road ahead. Gripping onto the steering wheel, she continued to drive down the narrow, abandoned road. She's been on the road for the last three months, always moving from place to place, never staying in one place for more than a day, two at most. She'd bought the old Ford pick-up off an elderly man about two hours north of Sunnydale, just three days after the fight against the First Evil and the hundreds of thousands of Turok-Han that were down inside the Hellmouth.

She never said goodbye to Buffy or anyone else she'd fought the big fight with. Quietly she'd slipped off into the night, never looking back—she didn't have a reason to just like she didn't have a reason to stay with the others and make the move to the other Hellmouth in Cleveland, Ohio.

It was freeing doing her own thing, moving from place to place, from town to town, mostly avoiding the bigger cities when she could in case the cops were looking for her. As far as she was concerned, she was still a wanted murderer and there she was, always moving, never settling down in one place, never finding that one place to call home, always hiding behind a few false identities with equally fake backstories if there were too many questions being asked about herself.

The old truck shuddered as it came to a slow stop. Faith hit the steering wheel as she checked the gas gauge. The needle was on empty and she cursed under her breath as she turned the engine off.

"Perfect. Just frigging perfect," Faith muttered as she watched the rain hit the window shield. She was miles from anywhere, driving through the back roads of Nebraska, headed to Fremont, chasing after a lead she'd heard in a dusty, dank bar back in Denver of multiple vampire killings there.

Reaching into the back seat, she grabbed her duffel bag filled with her only belongings and just a few weapons. She'd passed a gas station a few miles back before she'd turned down the old, narrow road. She knew she had no choice but to walk back there in the driving rain or she was a sitting duck out there, just another prey for any of the beasts that roamed the dense woods surrounding her. With dusk approaching, she knew she had to move quickly. Vampires and demons she could fight, but she couldn't deal with wild animals. One close encounter with a bear in Montana was more than enough of experience for her.

Thunder crashed as she climbed out of the truck and slung the strap over her shoulder. She pulled her well-worn leather jacket tighter around her as she headed back in the direction she'd come from. Her clothes were soaked through in a matter of minutes and despite the warmth of the air, a chill ran through her body as another crash of thunder rumbled through the sky, so close, so loud it rattled her bones.

Faith picked up the pace, jogging down the middle of the road, getting further and further from her truck and closer to the gas station. Even through the heavy rain, she could see the neon sign up ahead once she'd turned the bend in the road. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she slowed down, walking the rest of the way, shivering as her cold, wet clothes clung to her skin in the most uncomfortable way.

The gas station looked empty, the small hut dark and closed up for the night it seemed. Just down the road there was a small motel and a diner. Shrugging, she pulled the strap back up on her shoulder and headed towards the diner, her stomach leading her there, rumbling as it reminded her she hadn't ate a thing since that morning.

The bell over the door clanged as she strode into the diner, the few occupants inside looking up from their meals over at her. Faith ignored the looks she received as she walked over to the long bar and sat down on the stool, dropping her bag to the floor next to her.

"What can I get ya, darlin'?"

"Coffee, please," Faith replied and she shrugged off her wet jacket.

"Where are you coming from all soakin' wet?" The waitress asked and she placed a mug in front of her and filled it with fresh, hot coffee.

"Ran outta gas few miles up the road," Faith replied as she wrapped her hands around the warm mug. "Is the gas station closed?"

"Yep, for the night. Charlie's boy is sick," she replied. "You must be hungry, darlin'. What can I get ya?"

"The burgers in this joint are the best thing they got," a man said as he sat down near her, just a few stools over. "Get her the house burger with a side of those fries of yours, Maude."

"And what if I didn't feel like a burger?" Faith asked, chuckling as she looked over at the man. He didn't look to be much older than herself and he was handsome in a rugged sort of way. Not her usual type, but he was easy on the eyes and his smile was full of cocky confidence and charm.

"Like I said," he shrugged as he picked up the burger on the plate in front of him. "Burger's here are the best thing they got on the menu."

"Whatever," Faith rolled her eyes and lifted the mug to her lips, taking a sip of the hot coffee.

"Dean," he said as he thrust a hand out to her, still chewing a bite of his burger. _Charming_. "I'm Dean."

"Faith."

"You live nearby or just passing through?"

"Passing through. You?"

"Same," he said with a short nod. "Business or pleasure?"

"Both," Faith replied with a wink as the waitress placed her plate down in front of her. "I'm guessing you're about to say the same, yeah?"

"Could say that. Now take a bite and tell me it isn't the best damn burger you've ever had in your life."

There was something about him, something Faith couldn't quite put her finger on. She was used to strangers, mostly guys her age, sometimes older, hitting on her and hoping she'd fall for their desperate charm. Dean was different than the other men she'd run into over the past few months. Something about him, the hardness of his friendly blue eyes, told her there was more to him than what met the eye.

Faith took a bite of her burger and moaned softly, the taste of it and all the toppings was absolutely the best thing she'd had in her mouth in a long time. Quickly wiping away the ketchup from the corner of her lips, she smiled at Dean as he moved to sit on the stool next to her.

"Am I right or am I right?"

"It _is_ damn good," Faith nodded.

"Dean!"

She watched him tense as he turned around on the stool to face an older man as he walked up to them. Taking another bite of her burger, she tried to mind her own business as Dean slid off the stool, leaving his meal unfinished.

"What is it, dad?"

"We have a job," he replied quietly. "In Fremont."

"That's a few hours drive from here."

"Let's move."

Dean sighed heavily as he turned to look at Faith. "I guess I'll see you around or maybe not," he said and he grabbed napkin and pulled a pen out of his pocket. He quickly scribbled down a number and handed it to her. "Give me a call sometime, you know, if you want."

"Sure."

Faith turned to watch Dean as he jogged through the small diner to catch up to the older man, his father. Pocketing the napkin with Dean's number, she turned back to her meal, savoring every last bite, trying to take her time as to not draw any unwanted attention to herself.

Faith wondered if it was a coincidence they were both headed to Fremont. A job could mean anything. They could be traveling salesmen, a father/son team, just stopping over for a bite to eat before moving on their way. Trying not to think too much of it, Faith finished off her burger and the fries. When she signaled the waitress over to bring her the check, Maude laughed and said it had already been paid for.

"By who?"

"That nice young man who took it upon himself to order it for you, darlin'," Maude replied, winking as she cleared away the empty plate. "Hey, he also left you these," Maude said when she returned to top up her mug of coffee. She held out a key with a number on the keyring attached to it.

"What's this for?"

"A room in the motel," Maude said, hooking a thumb to her side. "It's paid for for another night. I guess he took it upon himself to leave you the room, seeing as you're stuck here until the mornin' when Charlie opens up."

_Huh. What gives? I get a free meal and a free room? Who the hell does that guy think he is anyway?_

Smiling at Maude, she picked up her mug and sipped the hot coffee, the chill she'd felt earlier already fading now that she had eaten and had gotten something hot in her. Even her clothes weren't as soaking wet as before. Sitting there for a while, her thoughts kept coming back to him, to the way he smiled at her, the way he winked when he handed her his number like she was just another girl he wanted to pick up for one night only.

Only he was gone and it was doubtful she'd ever see him again or even think of calling him. Who was he anyway? Just another random stranger in a town she was passing through, someone she wouldn't have met if she'd stopped for gas earlier like she should've done.

* * *

Early the next morning, Faith was back on the road, tank full of gas and a hearty breakfast to go in a styrofoam container sitting on the passenger seat. She'd had a surprisingly good nights sleep, something that had been rare since she'd left California. The hot water in the shower had been a nice surprise, considering the motel was pretty much a dump, barely passing as a livable space.

Faith had decided as soon as she'd gotten her truck gassed up, she wasn't going to travel down the back roads, they'd only slow her down and she needed to be in Fremont like yesterday.

She tried to keep her focus on the road, the highway itself fairly busy. Yet her thoughts kept coming back around to Dean and his stupid charming smile, his gorgeous eyes and—god what was happening to her? How could one stranger, one random guy invade her thoughts like that? The only ever person that did that to her had been Buffy, but that was in the past and she intended to keep it there.

After a few hours, she was driving down the main stretch in the small town of Fremont. It was quaint, like most small towns, but she could sense the heavy feeling of tragedy that lingered over the town and the people there like a dark cloud. The only motel in town was booked solid, but the manager there had been nice and gave her directions to a nearby bed and breakfast that had a room available.

Faith parked her truck on the street in front of the modest looking house, the only sign that it was a bed and breakfast was the small sign on the front lawn. She grabbed her bag and climbed out of the truck, breathing in deeply as she slammed the door shut and made her way up to the front door. She didn't have a lot of cash on her and she hoped what she did have would buy her the room for at least two days so she could get to the bottom of this vampire problem that plagued the town.

An old lady sat behind a wooden desk, perked up when Faith walked through the front door. She was sweet and soft spoken, showing Faith to her room after she paid for it for two nights with the last of her cash. She had no idea what she'd do for food, for smokes, or even gas to get her to the next town, but like always she knew she'd figure it out. She always figured it out, one way or another.

"Supper will be served at six," the old lady, Amelia, Faith had learned, said as she motioned to the clock on the wall in the hallway. "It's pork roast, potatoes and vegetables fresh from the garden. Do be prompt, dear."

"Sure, thanks."

"Are you in town for the funeral?"

"Pardon?"

"The funeral for those young college students that were murdered here in town not even just a week ago, God rest their souls. It's tomorrow morning."

"Uh, yeah, yeah," Faith nodded. "Just thought I'd pay my respects."

Amelia nodded and left her alone in her room, shutting the door quietly on her way out. Faith tossed her duffel bag on the small, single bed and groaned as she ran her fingers through her hair.

She had two hours before six o'clock rolled around and that meant she had two hours to do some much needed research on the town, on what they thought was the motive behind the murders. She needed to find a pattern, clues as to where these vampires were hiding out during the day. The college students that Amelia mentioned, they had been the latest victims, but Faith knew there'd been more since then, more that the people in town had no idea had been killed. Yet.

* * *

The night was approaching fast as Faith made her way through the cemetery just a quarter mile outside of town. Hours of research had led her there, the only known place in town where a nest of vampires could hole up without alerting the townspeople of their presence. From the evidence she dug up on the slain college students, there had been six of them with bite marks on their necks the authorities called "puncture wounds from an unknown weapon or utensil". It meant that there were at least six vampires, maybe a few more. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle on her own, she'd just have to play it safe, lure a few to her at a time and hope to hell there weren't any more than that.

Lighting a cigarette, Faith perched herself on top of a wide, thick headstone and watched as the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon. A smile curled over her lips as she felt those familiar tingles run through her body. Vampires were near and they were headed her way. Taking one last drag of her cigarette, she flicked it to the ground and hopped off the headstone, turning around slowly as she heard footsteps approaching her from behind.

"Whoa!" Dean said, sounding as startled as Faith felt. "What are you doing here?"

"About to ask you the same thing."

"It isn't safe here," Dean said quickly as he moved to grab her arm, a move she quickly deflected. "Come on, it's not safe. Get out of here, Faith."

"Why don't you mind your own business, Dean? I can handle myself."

Faith turned to walk away from him, not wanting to deal with him at the moment. She didn't even want to think about _why_ he was even in the cemetery to begin with. She headed down the gravel pathway, the stones crunching under her boots as she picked up the pace, hoping she'd lose him if she moved quick enough.

"I told you I can—"

Faith was knocked to the ground by a vampire twice the size of her. She'd expected Dean and in return all she got was a vamp, looking for dinner. Leaping to her feet as she recovered quickly from the unexpected blow to the face, she charged at the vampire, taking him down within a matter of seconds. Every blow to his ugly face had her feeling more revved up, wanting a good fight just to blow off some steam.

The vampire beneath her groaned weakly as she stood up and grabbed him by the front of his tacky leather jacket. Hoisting the vampire to his feet, she glared at him, daring him with her eyes to fight back.

"Slayer—"

"Don't tell me," Faith chuckled as she moved her hand to his throat and gripped tight. "You're going to tell me how much you want to drink my blood, suck the marrow from my bones, etcetera, etcetera. I'm shaking in my boots here, buddy."

The vampire, even with his bloody, swollen face, looked confused as Faith raised a cocky eyebrow at him. She didn't give him another chance to attempt at making a move at her, cracking a hard punch to his already damaged face. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Dean as he ran towards her and the vampire, but she focused solely on the vampire as she pulled her stake out from inside her jacket and thrust it hard into his chest.

As the dust fell, she heard the growling of other vampires, three at least, closing in and fast. She looked over at Dean, wanting to yell at him to get out of there, but she stumbled back in surprise when she saw him holding his own against a vampire his size, snarling and swiping at him, every move the vampire made, easily deflected with the grace of a seasoned fighter against evil.

"Yo, watch your back!" Faith yelled out as two other vampires approached Dean from behind.

Faith spun around to deal with the three that were closing in on her, dusting two with ease before facing the third one, a woman. Chick vamps were always harder to fight. They fought dirtier, harder than their male counterparts, but it was always a fight Faith welcomed because it challenged her as a slayer, because it made her a better fighter in the end.

With the third vampire dust at the end of her stake, she found herself back to back with Dean, a half a dozen—maybe more—vampires now surrounding them. She'd severely misjudged how many vamps were in town and now she was mentally kicking herself for not being more prepared to take on more than enough vampires on her own.

"New plan," Dean said as he motioned towards the partially open gates at the entrance. "We get the hell—"

"Outta dodge," Faith finished. "Good plan."

"On three?"

"Now," Faith said as she took off running, leaving Dean standing there alone. He caught up to her quickly and they ran out of the cemetery and out to the dead end road. Faith's truck was parked nearby and a black Impala, vintage, was parked just down the road. Glancing back, Faith came to a stop and glared at Dean as he panted heavily, stopping to stand next to her. "What the hell?" Faith asked him as she shoved him away from her.

"What?"

"What the hell are you doing in a cemetery fighting vamps like that? Are you on a suicide mission or something?"

"About to ask you the same thing," Dean replied, mirroring her words from earlier. "How about we just get outta here and we'll talk?"

"We'll do more than talk. You've got some explaining to do."

"So do you."

With a frustrated huff, Faith yanked open the door to her truck. "Meet me in half an hour at the burger joint in town."

"Carl's?"

"Yeah, there. Half an hour."

"I ain't the only one who has some explaining to do," Dean muttered as Faith slammed the door shut and slid her keys into the ignition. "Half an hour!"

Faith ignored him as she sped away, watching in the review mirror as Dean climbed into the Impala and followed her, leaving the remaining vamps behind.

* * *

Faith stared at Dean as they sat in a quiet booth in the corner of the small burger joint. They were the only customers and the only waiter had left them alone after they ordered some food. Faith hadn't touched her order, yet Dean looked like he was heaven with every bite of the burger he took, chewing noisily as he stared her down.

"So, explain," Faith said pointedly. "What the hell were you doing out there?"

"What were _you_ doing there?"

"I asked you first."

Dean groaned and he reached for his bottle of beer and took a few sips before he leaned back in the booth and tried to relax. "I was doing my job."

"So was I."

Laughing, he leaned forward and looked at her like she was crazy. "A scrawny little thing like you? Fighting vampires?"

"It's what I do."

"It's what I do too, only my work isn't limited to vampires."

"Neither is mine, but it's a strong front runner in the fight against evil," she said in a hushed whisper so the waiter wouldn't overhear their conversation. "And I'm not scrawny. Are you blind? This body is the very epitome of sexy, not scrawny."

"Point is, you barely look strong enough to fight," Dean said quietly. "So, what are you, some kind of superhero?"

Faith laughed as she picked at the label on her bottle of beer. She never just told anyone she didn't know who she was, what she did, but after seeing Dean hold his own against the vampires in the cemetery, she knew he wasn't just _anyone_. She picked up a fry and ate it slowly, her usual appetite after slaying just wasn't there.

"So?" Dean said as he looked over at her. "What are you? Are you a hunter?"

"A what?"

"A hunter," Dean replied and she shook her head.

"A slayer," she said. "I'm a slayer."

"A what?" Dean asked, looking more confused than ever. She didn't say anything and he took another bite of his burger before dropping it back on the plate. He looked deep in thought as he chewed slowly and never once took his eyes off of her. "You're a slayer? I thought they were just a myth."

"No, not a myth. Very real and there's thousands of us now."

"Huh," Dean muttered as he scratched the back of his head. "How come I've never run into any of them before?"

"Well, it's not like we go around telling people who we are."

"And I'm an exception?" Dean asked, flashing a cheeky grin her way. Faith rolled her eyes and gave a little shrug. "If you ran into me, say here instead of in the cemetery, you'd never would've told me who you really are, would you?"

"No."

"So, tell me, Faith, what are you doing here?"

"Heard about the killings, came here to take care of it. What about you? Wait, don't tell me, you're here for the same reason I am right?" Faith asked and he nodded. "So, you and your dad go around the country, dealing with all these things. Is it like a family business or something?"

"These "things" are jobs," Dean replied. "And yeah, it's kind of a family business thing."

"It's just you and your dad?"

"Usually."

Faith was getting the feeling that Dean wasn't much of a sharing type, like herself. Leaning back in the booth, Faith sipped her beer and wondered where she'd go from here, already thinking of the next place she'd go, the next "job" she'd deal with. She knew there was a highly likely chance that after tonight, she and Dean wouldn't cross paths again.

* * *

_November 28th_

"Son of a bitch!" Faith yelled out as the overweight vampire's fist caught her off guard. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, she turned to face the vampire, anger seething through her as she pulled out her favorite stake from the inside of her jacket. "I'm gonna kill you, you fat fuck."

The vampire let out a disgusting growl as it lunged forward at her. She'd been tracking this one single vampire down for days, going from town to town all over the south, finally finding him holed up in an abandoned house a mile outside of New Orleans. Usually, she didn't relentlessly hunt down just one single vampire, but this one had killed an entire orphanage in a single night, draining twenty-seven kids dry within a matter of hours.

It hit her where it hurt most, her soul, and she was determined to kill the vampire responsible for killing those innocent kids.

"I bet you taste as good as those little kiddies did," the vampire sneered as he licked over his lips. "I bet you taste even better, slayer."

Even for a vampire as large as he was, he sure could move. Faith ducked out of the way of his heavy fist and tried to swing her legs under his to throw him off balance, but he barely budged and she groaned, feeling like she'd just kicked a damn tree. The vampire grabbed her easily and threw her against the wall, plaster and wood raining down on her as soon as she'd slid to the floor. Coughing, she stood up, a little unsteady on her feet, sheer determination to kill the bastard the only thing keeping her going.

A loud bang coming from the front of the house startled the vampire just long enough for Faith to gain the upper hand on him, using his distractedness to her advantage as she roundhouse kicked him in the back. The floor shook as he landed face first and she knew from the way he rose back to his feet that she had seriously pissed him off even more.

"Faith?" Dean said as he ran into the room. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Taking care of this asshole," Faith replied as she gripped on her stake, her eyes not leaving the vampire as he slowly turned around. "I don't need to ask what you're doing here, do I?"

"Need a hand?"

"I can deal."

Faith charged at the vampire, but not before she winked at Dean. The vampire looked confused that someone else had joined the fight, but Dean wasn't fighting, he was watching as Faith pummeled the vampire until it was on the floor, barely moving, hands grasping but falling short of grabbing on to Faith. She hit him hard, square in the middle of his face before she plunged her stake into his fat, thick chest.

The vampire laughed as Faith stumbled back, fully expecting for him to have turned to dust by now. He glanced at the stake protruding out of his chest and he pulled it out, barely even blinking past the blood that tricked down his forehead.

"Did you really think this puny thing would've killed me? Stupid girl."

The vampire crushed the stake, her _lucky_ stake with his hands. Faith huffed, angry but not stupid as she quickly scouted the empty room for something she could use to kill the bastard already.

"Here," Dean said, whistling to get her attention. He threw a sleek looking dagger her way and she noticed right away it was covered in blood.

"This ain't gonna kill him, Dean."

"Yeah, it will. Just get it done and I'll explain later."

With a shrug, Faith turned to the vampire and grabbed the front of his sweat-stained t-shirt. She plunged the dagger into his chest and pushed him away, sliding the dagger out as she watched the vampire clutch helplessly at his chest. Faith watched curiously as the vampire collapsed against the wall, still clutching at his chest as he slumped to the ground. His head lolled lifelessly as his hand fell away from his chest and that was it. No poof, no dust, just a body, far more undead than it had been moments before.

"What the hell?"

"Different breed of vampire than what you're used to fighting, staking them won't kill them, just slow them down a little," Dean replied and he took his dagger back from Faith. "Dead man's blood does the trick, doesn't matter what you stab it with just as long as it's coated in dead man's blood."

"Well damn, you sure learn something new every day, don't ya?"

"More than you know," Dean replied. "Didn't expect to find you here, but then again, when I heard about the vampire that killed those kids, I should've known you'd pick up on that trail too and that I'd find you here."

Faith had honestly never expected to see him again. They shared similar lives, tracking down evil and taking care of it the way they did best, by killing them. But they were two different people, she was a slayer and he was a hunter, their worlds similar but not.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?"

"Didn't we do that back in Nebraska?"

"We did," Dean replied and he gestured for Faith to leave the room first. "But we didn't talk about the right things, the things we should've talked about. There is a lot you don't know about the world out there, Faith. You think you know, but you have no idea. What you've seen is only just the beginning. I get that you're a slayer, but evil isn't what it used to be, not for you and not for me. Our worlds, they've collided."

"And let me guess, the only way we're gonna survive it is if we go and fight evil together?"

"My dad, he's gone off on a job, alone. My brother, Sam, he doesn't know and I doubt he even cares. I'm all I got right now and I know you're out here on your own. I ain't asking for much, just a partner for a little while. What do you say, Faith?"

"I think we oughta go somewhere and talk."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_January 18th 2004_

Two months she'd been on the road with Dean Winchester, two months of fighting side by side. The things she'd seen with him, a lot of them seemed so impossible, a far cry from the black and white world of her own, where all she had were vampires, demons and witches. In Dean's world, however, there were a lot more than the run-of-the mill vampires, the demon's weren't like any of the ones she'd faced before, the witches they'd encountered were pretty much evil and then there were spirits, monsters she'd only read of in books, shape-shifters and a whole lot more that hurt her head to think about.

"Yo, when you gonna let me drive?" Faith asked as the Impala soared down the open road. "Dean?"

"Hey, nobody drives my baby but me. We've talked about this."

"You know, you can be such a dick sometimes. It's just a car."

"Don't listen to her, baby," Dean said as he stroked the steering wheel and cast Faith a dirty glare. "She's more than just a car."

"Whatever, man," Faith muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm just itching to drive for a couple hours. You're the one that convinced me to ditch my wheels."

"It was a lemon. Would've cost more to fix it up than what it was worth. Besides, we're a team and it's easier to move if we're in the same car."

"Still, would it kill you to let me drive for a while?"

Dean ignored her, cranking up the radio and singing along, loudly. Rolling her eyes, Faith looked out the open window. They were somewhere in Texas, she knew that from the sign they'd passed hours ago. There was rumors floating around about a girl with superpowers, wrecking havoc in a small town north of Dallas. Faith knew right away when she'd read several reports of the girl that the girl was a slayer, young and scared, alone and confused, lashing out in the only way she knew how. She'd been the one who convinced Dean they needed to check it out and deal with the girl before she killed someone.

The last two months hadn't been smooth, or easy. Not by a long shot. Yet the two of them got along well, better than Faith initially thought they would. Twice though, they'd landed in bed together, the first time after slaying a nest of vampires and spent the night in a club, dancing before they ended up back at the motel, and the second time after they'd both had far too much to drink in a cheap, dingy biker bar. As good as it had been, there was no connection there, no thirst for more, no lingering desire. There was no awkwardness after the fact either, both agreeing they'd be better off as just friends, nothing more. It worked for Faith, she wasn't looking for a relationship and even as good as it'd been with Dean, he just didn't do _it_ for her.

In two months, she'd seen more than she ever thought she would, seen things she only thought existed in nightmares and fairytales. Dean had been right when he told her there was a lot more in the world than what she knew was already there, a lot more that went bump in the night. None of it scared her, but it did worry her. There were thousands of slayers in the world now and all of these things were out there and they were completely oblivious. It made her wonder if Giles knew what was really out there and if he did know, why had he never said anything to any of them before?

Giles, damn, she hadn't thought much about him since she left back in May. Just like Giles, she hadn't thought much of Buffy and the Scooby gang either, not even a tiny thought, not even wondering where they ended up, if they were all in Cleveland or somewhere else completely. Nobody had sought her out, so she figured that meant they could care less about her. She was fine with that, she didn't expect them to want her around. At least with Dean, she knew he wanted her around and that was good enough for her for now.

She had only ever talked about her life in Sunnydale with Dean once, after he relentlessly bugged her about it for days. It wasn't like he told her much about his life or his family. She knew about his brother Sam and how they hadn't spoken in a few years. She'd met his father just once after the first time and John was an intense man, barreling a million questions at her when Dean told him that she was a slayer.

Other than that, it'd just been the two of them for the last two months. Most of the jobs Dean found, he'd found them on his own. Sometimes, on one of his few cell phones, his father would leave a message, telling him of a situation in some backwater town he couldn't get to and that they'd need to take care of it themselves. Not once did Dean ever complain, but sometimes Faith could see the edges fraying and something told her he'd either had enough of this life, or he was chasing something she didn't know about.

"What are we gonna do with her?" Dean asked, turning the volume on the radio down. "Faith? That girl we're going after? What are we gonna do with her?"

"Well, we can't kill her if that's what you're asking," Faith replied and she ran her hand through her wild, unruly hair. "I don't know, Dean. I'll figure it when we get there."

"Better figure it out soon. We're almost there," Dean replied as he made a sharp turn. "What about those people you used to run with in Sunnyhell?"

Laughing, Faith realized he had a point. When they found this girl, they had to do _something_ with her and Faith wasn't willing to play babysitter to a teenage slayer who'd gone off the rails. She did have a contact number for Giles, given to her "just in case". Maybe now was the time to call him, see if there was some way they could send this girl to him.

"Well?"

"I'm thinking," Faith replied and she dug out her wallet from her back pocket and riffled through it, looking for that piece of paper Giles had given her just a few hours before she'd taken off in the middle of the night. "Can I use your phone?"

Dean glanced at her in mock horror. He _never_ let her use his phone, but then again she'd never had reason to ask before. "Let's just get settled in and you can use the phone in the room."

"Whatever."

"Don't be like that, sweetheart," Dean chuckled, using the nickname Faith loathed just to rile her up. "How about this? We'll find a place and get you your very own shiny phone. What do you think?"

"About frigging time."

* * *

Faith paced the motel room floor, glaring at the phone on the bedside table that sat between the two double beds in the small room. Dean had taken off shortly after they checked in. Food and beer run, something she knew would take a little while since that also included him picking up a cell phone for her.

"Just call him already," Faith muttered to herself as she looked down at the paper in her hand. "It's probably been disconnected or something by now."

Shaking her head, she picked up the receiver and dialed the number. It took a few seconds for the call to go through and the line started to ring. Faith nearly hung up by the sixth ring and she was about to when she heard the line click as it was picked up on the other end.

_"Hello? Rupert Giles speaking."_

"Giles, it's me," Faith said quietly.

_"Faith?"_

"Yeah."

_"Good lord, I never expected to hear from you again."_

Laughing she sat on the edge of the bed she'd claimed for herself and let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, didn't think I'd be calling, but there's a sitch I gotta deal with and I'm not so sure how to deal with it."

_"Dare I ask what this situation may be?"_

"Teenage slayer, gone off the rails, wrecking havoc around town. G, I gotta ask, this ain't normal, is it?"

_"Quite the opposite,"_ Giles replied and he was silent for a moment. _"We have been encountering several dozen young slayers who have come into their power without any knowledge of what has happened to them. Andrew has assembled a team who deals with girls such as these. May I ask where you are, Faith?"_

"Some hick town in Texas," Faith muttered.

_"Ah,"_ Giles cleared his throat. _"Andrew and his team should already be there. If not, they should be on their way. The coven has already informed us of a girl, barely fourteen years old, located in Breckenridge, Texas."_

"And if I find this girl first?"

_"Be careful. There's no telling how she'll react."_

Faith nodded to herself, not realizing how good it felt to hear Giles' voice after so long. There were a lot of questions she had for him, but now wasn't the time to ask them. She'd called him for one reason, one reason only, and that was to figure out what she was going to do with this young slayer once she'd found her. And as it turns out, she might not even have to deal with the girl at all in the end.

_"Faith?"_ Giles asked, breaking the silence over the line. _"Are you well? Taking care of yourself?"_

"Yeah, best as I can."

_"Traveling alone isn't easy, the isolation alone would be—"_

"I'm not alone," Faith cut him off. "There's this guy, he's a hunter. We ran into each other a few times and now I'm kind of running with him."

_"A hunter?"_

"Long story, G, but one I'm sure would fascinate you," Faith replied with a dry chuckle. "Look, I'm gonna go. Gotta get a move on and find this girl before she seriously hurts someone. Or worse."

_"Faith?"_

"What is it, Giles?"

_"Is there a number I can get in contact with you?"_

"I'll keep in touch."

Faith hung up the phone before he could ask her another question. She wasn't entirely comfortable talking to him, but yet, it felt good to hear his voice, to have him talk to her like the past eight months hadn't passed without a single phone call. She was just sitting there, the piece of paper still in her hand when Dean stormed in through the door carrying a few paper bags. He dropped them on the table and whistled at her as he tossed a cell phone at her.

"Got us some snacks and some beer. Also picked up some fresh pie from this bakery a few blocks over," Dean said and he pulled out two sick-packs of beer and started to load up the small bar fridge that sat near the dresser. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," she fizzled as she checked out the phone he'd tossed her. It was used, a few scratches on the screen, but it wasn't one of those old clunky flip phones Dean was so fond of. "A Blackberry, Dean? Aren't these for those business type people?"

"Dunno," he shrugged and he pulled out two cans of beer. "Guy at the store sold me on it. You can get on the internet with it and everything. Figured it could come in handy, you know, when we're out on the road and don't feel like stopping over in some dusty old library to search for another job or a lead or something."

"Gee thanks, so what do I owe ya?" Faith asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Just a kiss on the cheek, sweetheart," Dean joked, ducking out of the way of the pillow Faith chucked his way. "You talk to whoever you needed to talk to yet?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

Faith sighed as she glanced down at her cell phone, it feeling so foreign in her hands since it was the first one she'd ever had of her own. "We might not have to deal with her after all, but I think we still oughta go out there later and see if we can track her down."

"Sure," Dean replied, tossing the pillow back at Faith before he took a swig of his beer. "So tell me, how do we track down a rogue slayer, capture her and do…what exactly with her?"

"Keep her from killing someone. Someone human at least. From the reports, she's done some major damage. I'm surprised she's still in town."

"That's not for sure."

"No, she is."

Dean raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the small wooden table. Faith blew out an exasperated breath and motioned for Dean to toss her a beer. When he did, she leaned back against the headboard and tapped on the top of the can before opening it.

"I called Giles."

"That Watcher guy?"

"Yeah," Faith nodded. "There's already a team that should be here, if they aren't already. They're coming for the same girl we're here for."

"A team, huh?" Dean chuckled. "What kind of operation are they running?"

"I have no idea. Sounds like they're pretty put together though, right?"

"Do you trust them?" Dean asked and all Faith could do was shrug. If Andrew was the head of this team, she didn't know what to think. "You still want to go out and find her, so that's what we're gonna do. Any idea of where to start? Oh no, don't tell me, the local cemetery?"

"No," Faith shook her head and she took a swig of her beer. "The girl won't let herself get caught there. She'll be somewhere else. We gotta dig into a bit of recent history in this town, find out what's the what and go from there."

"More research?" Dean groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Man, I wish Sam were around. Dude digs the whole research thing. Freak."

"Where is he anyway?" Faith asked casually, knowing she was pushing the boundaries of what Dean was willing to share. "You don't ever think of picking up the phone and giving him a call, see if he's all right?"

"He's fine."

"Hey, you're the one who mentioned him, not me."

"As far as I know, he's finishing up high school, living with some family my—our dad trusts. Sam is safe, doing his own thing. Who am I to interfere with his life?"

"He's your brother."

"Who I haven't spoken with in more than a year. Either way," Dean sighed heavily as he shook his head, the look in his eyes clear that he didn't want to talk about it. "If he wasn't fine, I'd know about it, one way or another."

Faith just didn't get it. She knew the Winchester family had it's own dark history, riddled with secrets, but at least Dean had a family. What did she have? She didn't have any siblings, her mother was dead, her father had skipped out when she was barely old enough to remember him. As far as she was concerned, she didn't _have_ a family, it was just her on her own and Dean still—although just sometimes—had his father in his life and a younger brother who he hadn't seen in the better part of a year for reasons she didn't even know.

Either way, Faith knew that mentioning Dean's family to him, even if he was the one who brought it up, was a sure way to get him in a pissy mood. That was the last thing she needed. Well, second last. Her conversation with Giles was weighing heavily on her mind and she was starting to get the urge to go out there and find the girl before she had to run into Andrew Wells and his stupid team of slayers that were either already there in town or on their way.

* * *

Faith sat on the plastic patio chair outside their room, smoking and waiting for Dean to come back. He was out in town, trying to gather up information on the girl they were there for. Faith had gone earlier, but she wasn't good at getting information out of the locals and Dean, he had his fake police badge and a way about him that she had no doubt he'd get the locals talking to him about this girl.

"No, we haven't found her yet, we just got here. Mr. Giles, the girls and I are tired. It's been a long trip and we just want to—yes, I understand how imperative it is we locate her."

Faith raised an eyebrow at the strangely familiar voice. Andrew Wells. Standing up from her chair, she walked around the corner of the motel and found him standing in front of a big black van with a cell phone to his ear.

"Did I just hear you right? Did you say that Faith called you? When? Uh huh," Andrew nodded comically as he paced by the van, his back to Faith.

Faith strolled over to him, smirking as she moved quickly and quietly. She took one last drag of her cigarette and flicked it away, her arms folding over her chest as Andrew stopped pacing and slowly turned around to look at her. He yelped, as she expected he would and he dropped his phone to the ground. Faith could hear the tinny sound of Giles' voice calling out Andrew's name on the phone, over and over again.

"Faith!" Andrew squealed excitedly. "Mr. Giles was just telling me that you were here, looking for our slayer as well."

"Yeah, well, I was nearby, sort of, and heard about it. Figured the girl has got to be a slayer from the reports I read of the damage she has caused. Thought I'd stop in town and find her and…well, I hadn't thought much of what I was going to do with her once I found her."

"No need for that," Andrew replied, shaking his head as he picked up the cell phone from the ground. He hung up on Giles and smiled brightly at Faith. "I have an extraction team here with me, only the finest slayers we have in Cleveland. They are very skilled in the skill of—"

"Extraction?" Faith chuckled, shaking her head. Andrew sure had changed in a lot of ways and he was still the same, just something about him gave off a bigger level of confidence than what she remembered him having the last time she'd seen him. "I'll help."

"You will? I mean, we probably don't need an extra set of slayer hands, I have my team here and they are very skilled."

"Andrew," Faith groaned quietly. "I'm going to help. In fact, I'm sure I'll have some more information on this girl in a couple of minutes," she said as she saw the Impala pull into the parking lot.

Faith headed back to the room she and Dean were staying in and met him as he got out of the car. He pulled at his tie, loosening it as he walked up to her, smiling.

"You get any information?"

"I know where she is."

"And where is that exactly?"

"The sheriff caught her this morning breaking into someone's house about four miles up the road. She's sitting in a cell down at the station right now," Dean replied and he headed inside the room. "Her name is Erica. Very, very angry young woman."

"You talked to her?"

"Briefly."

"And what did she say?"

Dean chuckled as he took his suit jacket off and tossed it on his bed. He didn't say anything as he walked to the small fridge and pulled out a can of beer.

"She told you to go fuck yourself, didn't she?"

"Pretty much," Dean replied with a shrug. "Either way, she's not going anywhere. The sheriff has some pretty heavy charges on her that'll keep her in a cell for quite some time."

"Those bars aren't gonna contain her, Dean. She's a slayer."

"You were in prison."

"Yeah, because I deserved to be there. I could've broken out any time I damn well pleased, but I didn't because I knew that was where I was supposed to be. That girl? Erica? She's angry and she will leave at the first opportunity that she gets and nothing, not even a string of serious charges, are going to keep her in there."

She hadn't told Dean much about her time in prison, or why she was in there in the first place. There were a lot of things in her life she kept from him. As far as Dean was concerned, she was released. He didn't need to know she broke out to save Angel. He didn't even need to know about Angel, period.

"What then?" Dean asked as he sat down on the bed. "She's dangerous, Faith. She breaks out of there and what? Seriously hurts or kills the first person who tries to stop her?"

"We let her, but it won't be some random person who tries to stop her, it'll be me."

"And then what?"

"Gonna hand her off to people who can deal with her, that's what."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing, Dean. You've done all you can do, just leave the rest of this situation up to me and we can leave in the morning, find another job or whatever."

Faith walked out of the room, but not before grabbing her newest accessory, her phone. She headed straight for where Andrew was still standing outside by the black van, only this time he wasn't out there alone. Three other girls were with him and they were all talking quietly, no doubt trying to come up with a plan.

"Faith!" Andrew said with a smile on his face. "See, girls, I told you she was really here."

"Yeah, whatever," the tall girl with short and spiky black hair replied.

"I got some information you guys probably are gonna need."

"About Erica?" Andrew asked and Faith nodded. "Do you know where she is?"

"Down at the local police station, locked up in a cell. Doubt she'll be in there much longer, so get your little extraction team ready to go and we'll go and retrieve her before she does some serious damage."

"How—how did you find that out?"

"I'm working with someone who knows how to find stuff like this out."

"Is it Angel? No, it can't be Angel, he's in LA and—"

"No," Faith cut him off. "It's not Angel. It's someone else. Come on, let's move. Kinda want to get this situation dealt with. Don't wanna be stuck in this town any longer than I gotta be."

* * *

The young slayer was still sitting in the holding cell at the local station when Faith arrived with Andrew and his team. After coming up with a quick plan, the other's took the van around to the back of the building and parked there while Faith checked the place out. It was already growing dark outside and from her vantage point from across the street, the station looked virtually empty inside. A single police car was parked out front and the parking lot at the side of the building was empty.

Pulling out the two-way radio Andrew had given her, her finger lingered over the call button. "Building looks clear on this end."

_"Clear in the back,"_ Andrew replied. _"Over."_

Rolling her eyes, Faith put the radio in her pocket and crossed the empty street. She walked right in the front doors of the police station and found just one officer sitting behind one desk, feet up, eyes closed. Passed out cold.

"Yo?" Faith said as she slammed a hand down on the desk, startling the officer awake.

"What is it? How can I help you, ma'am?"

"Someone stole my bag!" Faith replied, trying to sound as frantic and worried as she could, trying to stick to the plan they'd come up with on the way there. "Please help me, officer! Everything I have is in that bag, my wallet, all my money, my ID, everything!"

The officer rose to his feet quickly and grabbed his hat, placing it on his head firmly. "Did you see who took your bag, ma'am?"

"A man," she said and shook her head. "He was big, wore a cowboy hat and his jeans were ripped. I didn't see his face." A pretty accurate description of most of the men in that town, but the officer didn't flinch. "He ran down that way." She said as she pointed to her left. "I tried to chase him, but—"

"It was probably best you didn't, ma'am. Stay here, I'll go out and find this man and retrieve your bag."

"Thank you, officer," Faith smiled as she watched him run out of the building and she didn't move until she saw him take off in his car, lights flashing, sirens blaring. "Jesus, that was too easy."

_"All clear, Faith?"_ Andrew's voice came in over the two-way radio.

"All clear," she replied quickly and she scanned the desk, looking for keys. "Give me a few minutes, Andrew. Just be ready."

_"Got it. Over and out."_

"Okay, let's do this," Faith muttered under her breath and she headed to the back wall and opened the only door. It led to a small, narrow hallway and she spotted the single cell at the very end.

She knew that they didn't have much time to play with. It wouldn't be long before the officer would realize he had been had and he'd be back. She ran down the hallway and came to a stop as she approached the single cell. The girl in question was sitting on a cot, holding her knees to her chest. She looked terrified and she was shaking as she looked up at Faith.

"Who—who are you?"

"Your knight in shiny leather pants," Faith replied and she winked at her as she looked around, hoping to find the keys to the cell back there. "Yo, Erica?"

"Y—yeah?"

"You see where they put the keys?" Faith asked and she shook her head no. "Great. Time for plan B. You wanna give me a hand?"

"And do what?"

"Bend the bars. Come on, Erica, we don't got a whole lot of time here."

"How are we supposed to bend—" Erica stopped, gasping as Faith struggled to bend one of the bars on the cell door, and little by little it started to give. "How can you do that?"

"Come on!" Faith barked at her. "Just give me a hand and after I get you outta here, you'll get all the answers you could ever need."

Erica hesitated but then she stepped forward and helped Faith bend the bar she had a firm grip on. It gave away a little easier and it provided just enough space that the young girl could slip through with ease. Pulling her out, Faith led the way down the hallway, turning the corner to where the back door exit was. She kicked the door open and the three slayers were there waiting, Andrew already behind the wheel of the van with the engine running.

"Who are you people?"

"Go with them, you'll be safe," Faith urged. "Go, Erica."

"I don't know you! Why are you doing this?"

"Would someone just shut her up already?" The slayer with the short spiky hair said and she moved forward and grabbed Erica. "Come on, get in the van. We will explain on the way."

"On the way? Where are you taking me?"

"Headquarters in Cleveland," she replied and she looked back at Faith and gave her a curt nod before she climbed in the back of the van and slammed the doors shut.

Faith walked around to the front of the van and climbed into the passenger seat. "Let's move, Andrew."

"You didn't have to help us."

"No, I didn't, but I felt like I had to. It's what I came here for in the first place. Now, _drive_, Andrew. We don't got a whole hell of a lot of time to play with here!"

Andrew sped away, making sure to keep his speed down as to not attract any unwanted attention to themselves. He made it back to the motel in a matter of minutes and after Faith handed him the two-way radio back and climbed out, he leaned out the window, calling her back before she could head into her room.

"Faith?"

"What is it?"

"We could really use your help in Cleveland."

"Nah," she waved him off. "You don't. Besides, nobody there wants me around. Just gonna stick with what I'm doing now."

"Faith, you're wrong," Andrew said with a slight frown. "They do want you there. We've been worried about—"

"Stop, save it cos I don't wanna hear it," Faith said sharply. "Now just get the hell outta town, Andrew, and I'm gonna do the same."

"Faith?" Andrew called out as she turned to walk away. "Good luck."

Faith turned and nodded, watching as he backed up and headed out to the road. With a heavy sigh, she opened the door to the room and motioned to Dean it was time to leave.

"You got everything?" Dean asked as she grabbed her duffel bag.

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Where we headed?"

"I don't know yet, Dean, just drive somewhere, anywhere. Get us outta town before Officer Gullible finds out I played him and broke that girl outta that holding cell."

"You're gonna tell me what went down, you do know that right?"

Faith chuckled as she tossed her bag into the trunk and stepped back as Dean slammed it shut. "Yeah, I know."

Faith raised an eyebrow as Dean tossed the keys to her. "Don't say it, just drive before I change my mind. Whatever you do, don't crash my baby into a pole or anything."

Faith hopped into the drivers seat and slipped the keys into the ignition. She wasn't going to question why Dead was letting her drive and why now, of all times. As the engine roared to life, she flashed a smile at Dean before pulling out of the motel parking lot and out onto the road.

She glanced back at the motel and watched the single police car, lights flashing and sirens blaring as it pulled into the motel, no doubt looking for her. Pressing the pedal a little harder, she drove them out of town, not looking back, only looking forward with no destination in mind, just her, Dean's car and the open road and the prospect of being able to go anywhere she wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_February 3rd _

Things had been quiet for a few weeks. They'd been traveling through the southern states, avoiding the cold up north and hoping to find something, anything down there they could deal with. But there was nothing, nothing out of the ordinary. There hadn't even been a phone call from John Winchester since the night they left that small hick town in Texas.

"What the hell?" Dean asked as he came to a stop, pulling the Impala to the side of the road. "Thought I told you I didn't want to come to California. Every inch of this state is off limits unless there's a job here."

"Don't look at me! I'm not the one driving," Faith spat at him and she pulled the map out of the glove department. "Look, maybe you made a wrong turn somewhere? Where was the last place we were in?"

"Kingman, Arizona."

Looking over the map, Faith chuckled dryly. "You were supposed to get on the 93, but you kept driving."

"You're the one with the map!"

"Ugh, you're impossible, aren't you, Dean? Can't even admit you made a little mistake, can you?" Faith rolled her eyes and climbed out of the car. She reached for her smaller bag she kept in the backseat and pulled her pack of cigarettes out. "Jesus."

Shaking her head, she walked down the road a little, standing at the side of the bridge they'd just driven over. She didn't want to be in California anymore than Dean did. They could easily just turn around, go back the way they came, but something was nagging at her that kept telling her they needed to keep going whether they wanted to or not.

"Faith," Dean said as he got out of the car and walked towards her. "Come on, I'm sorry okay? I overreacted. It wasn't your fault I wasn't paying attention back there," he said as he pointed in the direction they had come.

"What's the big deal about California anyway?" Faith asked, staring at him as she took a long drag of her cigarette. "Is it because Sam is here?"

Dean leaned against the railing and stared out over the rolling hills around them. "Yeah."

"Look, Stanford isn't even near here. Let's just find a place to crash for tonight and we'll turn around, go someplace else if it wigs you that much."

"Maybe I should go see him," Dean said and Faith let out a heavy sigh as she leaned against the railing next to him. "Stop in, catch up, see how my little brother is holding up being a big man on campus, living it up and fancy free."

"Hey, that's my line," Faith chuckled. "Is that what you want?"

"Can't put it off forever, can I?"

"No, you can't."

"When he left to go to college, I was pissed," Dean said and Faith nodded, trying to hide her shock that Dean was actually talking about his brother for once. "Pissed because he was getting away from the life. I wanted him to get away from it too, he deserved better than what we grew up having, which was what? Each other and nothing else, no home, no solid set of friends, nothing. Just wanted what was best for him and when he left, I was so pissed that I haven't talked to him since."

"Wanting it for him and being pissed about him leaving and getting what you both wanted for him? Kind of a contradiction ain't it?"

"You're telling me."

"So, let's go then," Faith said as she nudged him in the shoulder. "Go talk to your brother, make sure he's doing all right, yeah? Why don't you call him first?"

"Not that simple," Dean replied, shaking his head. "Maybe this is just a bad idea all around and the whole turning back thing is a better plan."

"Don't be such a pussy, Dean."

"I think…" Dean faltered as he looked over at her. "I think I should do this alone, Faith."

"I'll wait in the car then."

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Oh. So, what then? You're just gonna leave me here to fend for myself, is that what you're saying? Finally found the perfect opportunity to ditch me, huh?" Faith asked him, furious. She shoved him away from her. "What the hell, man? I thought we were a team or something and now you just wanna go and ditch me like that? Fucking cold, dude."

Faith charged back over to the Impala and popped the trunk. She grabbed her bag out and slammed the trunk shut a little too hard. She grabbed her other bag and started walking down the edge of the highway. Faith couldn't believe what had just happened. First she got yelled at for Dean not making the right turn and they ended up in California and now she was getting ditched at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere because Dean wanted to go see his brother alone? It made no sense, mostly because she knew how well the two of them worked together, even if they did bicker like an old married couple sometimes.

A few cars rumbled past her and she continued walking down the road. She had some money, it wasn't much, but she'd made it by before on less. She kicked a few rocks down the road ahead of her and rolled her eyes when she heard the unmistakable rumble of the Impala's engine.

"Faith, come on," Dean called out as he drove the car slowly alongside her. "Get in the car."

"Go to hell."

"Faith," Dean yelled as she continued to walk, ignoring him. "Just get in the car, will ya? I'm not trying to ditch you. You didn't even give me a frigging minute to explain myself. Man, you chicks are something else sometimes."

"Excuse me?" Faith stopped walking and Dean stopped the car. "We're something else? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Will you just get in the car?"

"Fuck you, Dean."

Dean growled and climbed out the car and walked around to come face to face with her. "What is your problem, huh?"

"_My_ problem?" Faith laughed as she stared up into his eyes. "I don't have a problem, you're the one with the problem, dude. You wanna ditch me? That's fine, great even! Knew it'd happen sooner or later. Now leave me the hell alone!"

"Can we talk about this?"

Faith started walking down the side of the road again, flipping him off over her shoulder. She knew how stubborn Dean could get sometimes and she knew he wasn't going to give up and let her walk away. It might have only been a few months they'd known each other for, but being together, day in and day out, it felt like they'd known each other longer, a lot longer than what it was in reality.

"Come on," Dean said as he jogged to catch up to her. "Just give me a minute to explain myself?"

Faith slowed down and stopped, turning quickly to face him. "One minute. Clock is ticking."

"I still want you around, you're pretty cool for a chick, you know that right?" Dean smiled at her and she rolled her eyes. "You're a damn good fighter and you saved my ass more times than I want to admit. Even these past few weeks without a single job, it's been fun."

"You just don't wanna lose your favorite drinking buddy, do you?"

"That too," Dean winked. "I want to see Sam alone, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna ditch you. Things are complicated enough between us and I want to have a chance to explain who you are to him first. You know, if he'll actually listen to a word I have to say to him."

"So, _make_ him listen. He's your brother, you're family, he can't shut you out forever, can he?"

"Probably could if he wanted to."

"Your minute is up."

"So," Dean said, flashing one of his charming smiles at her. "You gonna get back in the car and come with me?"

"You gonna let me drive?"

Rolling his eyes, Dean held the keys out to her. Faith laughed and she swiped them from him and they made their way back to the Impala. The sky was getting dark and they still had a long way to go before they'd get to Stanford. And as far as Faith was concerned, with her behind the wheel, they were taking the scenic route up the coast whether Dean wanted to or not.

* * *

In just under a day they were in Stanford, Faith sitting alone in their hourly rate motel room waiting on Dean to come back. She flipped through the channels on the TV, not finding anything of interest on. Shrugging, she got up and opened the fridge door and pulled out a can of beer. She had no idea how long Dean was gonna take, but then again it was the middle of the night and she still didn't understand why he chose to go see his brother now instead of in the morning.

Faith played with her phone, getting more used to having it with every day that passed. She'd programmed Giles' number in it one night after she nearly lost the paper with his number on it and as she settled back down on the only bed in the room, she found her finger hovering over the call button, ready to call Giles.

Even though it was late in California, it wasn't too late in Cleveland. She knew Giles kept late hours and that probably hadn't changed since she last saw him. She wanted to find out what ended up with that young slayer from Texas, her curiosity of what they did for her making her hit the button. The line rang only three times before she heard the click that it'd been picked up.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, Giles."

_"Hello, Faith,"_ he replied in what sounded like a pleasantly surprised voice. _"I wasn't expecting a phone call from you any time soon."_

"Yeah, well I was just sitting here all bored and thinking about that girl I helped out with back in Texas."

_"Ah, Erica, yes,"_ Giles cleared his throat. _"She is well, if that is what you were wondering. We've placed her in a facility in England where she, along with others like herself, are rehabilitating wonderfully."_

"This place run by those Council pricks?"

_"The new Council, yes. I can assure you that their methods of rehabilitation are far more sensible and humane than the, ahem, old ways."_

Faith sighed and she stared down at her unopened can of beer. She just called to find out about Erica, that was it, but she had this nagging feeling that she'd called for another reason as well. She just couldn't figure it what that other reason was.

_"May I ask where you are now?"_ Giles' voice came through the line soft, a small hint that he was genuinely concerned about her.

"Stanford," Faith replied. "Long story. Dean, the guy I'm running with is here to see his brother. We're not sticking around for long."

_"Ah. I see. Have you ever considered coming to Cleveland?"_

"Why would I come to Cleveland? If I wanted to be there, I would've gone with you guys nine months ago."

There was silence on the other end of the line and Faith wondered if Giles had hung up on her or they'd been disconnected. She almost hung up, but stopped from hitting the button when she heard Giles breathing on the other end of the line.

_"I was simply suggesting a brief visit,"_ Giles said quietly. _"It would be nice to see you again, Faith."_

"Yeah, sure," Faith snorted, not believing Giles was being sincere about wanting to see her again. "Look, if I'm around that way, maybe I'll stop by, see what you guys have been up to. I'm not gonna promise anything."

_"Of course. Faith? Take care."_

"You too, Giles."

Faith ended the call first, a weird and yet familiar sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. What Andrew had said to her a few weeks ago rang loud and clear in her head. Now that she'd heard Giles say it, maybe not the way that Andrew had, it made something inside her rise up to the surface. She was missed, and worried about and needed, even though Giles had said that other than he wanted her to come for a brief visit, she knew he probably wanted to say it.

The first thing she thought about was Buffy. Andrew hadn't mentioned her and neither had Giles. Did Buffy want her there? Did Buffy even care where she was, what she was doing? She doubted it, it wasn't as if they'd been good friends before she'd left them in the middle of the night. Yet, they had been working on talking to each other in the few days after Sunnydale that Faith had stayed with them. Now she couldn't help but wonder if things might've been different between them if she'd made the move to Cleveland instead of taking off to do her own thing.

If she decided to go to Cleveland, even just for a visit, would Dean come with her or would she have to go there alone? After spending the last couple of months with him, she wasn't really ready for him to be out of her life. She'd found a different kind of bond with him than she'd ever had with anyone before and sure, they'd slept together a few times and it didn't do it for either of them, but they were mature adults who hadn't let it get in the way of the job that had to be done, fighting the good fight and elimination just a little bit of evil along the way.

Sighing, Faith cracked open her beer and picked up the remote, flipping through the channels on the TV once again. She had a lot to think about and she wasn't going to make any solid decisions without talking to Dean about it first. Whether he came with her or decided to do his own thing, it didn't matter. She felt like she needed to see how he felt about it first. He was, after all, the only person that knew her better than anyone else and even then, he still didn't know everything about her.

Nobody probably ever would. She'd build the walls up around herself a long time ago and it would take one hell of a wrecking ball to make them crumble to the ground.

* * *

Dean didn't return for well over a day and all of Faith's phone calls had gone unanswered, her voicemails ignored, the texts she sent not returned and she figured he probably didn't know how to check them or reply anyway. Faith had been at the laundromat just down the street for a good part of the morning and when she got back to the motel, she spotted the Impala parked in the space in front of the room and she smiled. Yet, she was angry too and she had every right to be.

"You're an asshole, you know that, right?" Faith yelled out as she opened the door. Dean wasn't in the room, but another guy was. He was taller, skinnier, his hair a little shaggy. "You're Sam, aren't you?"

"And I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're Faith," Sam chuckled as he stood up from the bed and held out a hand. "Dean went to check out. He kind of thought you left when all your stuff was gone."

"Laundry," Faith replied as she dropped her duffel bag to the floor. "And he obviously doesn't have any eyes."

"Come again?"

"I wouldn't leave the fridge stocked with beer, are you nuts?"

Sam laughed again. Faith joined him, finding him kind of cute in a peculiar sort of way. He was younger than her and totally not her type, but there was a different side to him that Dean didn't have, a softer side. The vibes she was getting from him were different, a good different.

"Sammy, come on, let's go!" Dean said as he opened the motel door and tapped on the frame. "Sam, come on, motor's running."

"Dean?" Sam said as he smirked at his older brother. "She didn't leave."

"You're an asshole," Faith said as she walked up to Dean and slugged him hard—not slayer hard—in the shoulder. "You could've picked up the phone at least once!"

"You miss me?"

"No, you ass, I was worried about you. Big diff."

"You totally missed me."

"I see why you like her," Sam chuckled.

"I don't like her!"

"I meant that as in like her as a friend," Sam replied, shaking his head. "I got to hand it to you, Faith. Takes a lot to put up with a guy like Dean."

"He's all right, most of the times, you know when he's not being an asshole," Faith smirked and she slugged Dean in the shoulder one last time, just because. "We're leaving?"

"I was," Dean replied, rubbing his shoulder. "Thought you left. Was gonna drop Sammy back at the dorms and hit the road."

"And you didn't think just for a second to call?"

Dean shrugged, but she could see the guilt in his eyes no matter how much he tried to hide it.

"Look, I don't have class for another hour," Sam interjected. "Why don't we go and get something to eat and you can tell me a little bit about yourself, Faith?"

"Sounds good."

Faith smiled and walked out of the room with Sam close behind her. She could hear Dean grumbling in the room before he stepped out and joined them. Forgotten was thoughts of Cleveland, at least for now. The three of them piled into the Impala and headed for a restaurant close to the university campus. It was a diner, surprise surprise, but the food was good and hot and it was busy, bustling with students from the university.

"Before we make this all about me," Faith said as Dean stuffed his face with his burger as soon as the waitress put it down in front of him. "Why don't you tell me why the hell you've been gone for a day, huh?"

"We talked things out," Sam replied for him and Dean nodded, taking another bite. "We caught up, talked about the uh, family business and you, what you do, who you are. Are you really a slayer?" Sam asked quietly. "I thought that slayer's were nothing more than a myth?"

"That's what I said when she told me," Dean said with his mouth full.

"Nice manners, dude," Faith chuckled and she turned to look at Sam who was sitting beside her. "Definitely not a myth. I'm sure Dean told you, but there's hundreds of us now, thousands possibly. I don't know. I'm not really in the know, if you know what I mean."

"Why's that?"

"Long story. One I really don't feel like talking about right now."

"Right."

"Why the hell couldn't you call me back?" Faith asked Dean, shooting him a glare that had him roughly trying to swallow his food.

"It was a day."

"So?"

"You knew I went to see Sam. I didn't tell you when I'd be back."

"So not the point, man."

"You totally missed me," Dean chuckled and Faith picked up one of her fries and flicked it at him. "Worried about me, sorry, forgot there was a big diff," he winked as he tried to imitate her voice. He ducked out of the way of a second french fry and smiled at her. "Lost track of time, honestly. I'll make it up to you."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"I'll think of something."

From the way Sam was watching them, Faith knew he was getting a kick out of their conversation. Luckily, Sam turned the conversation back to her, asking her all sorts of questions, but never anything too personal or things that she hadn't already shared with Dean before. Before she knew it, the hour had passed and Sam was rushing out to make it to his class on time, leaving her and Dean alone in the diner, Dean happily on his second plate of apple-caramel pie.

She started thinking about Cleveland again, unable to completely ignore the notion of actually wanting to go there, even just for a few days. A week, tops if Buffy didn't kick her ass the second she turned up on her doorstep. Sighing loudly, she looked over at Dean who was in heaven as he enjoyed his second serving of pie.

"I was thinking," Faith started and the seriousness in her voice made him drop his fork down on the plate and look at her. "Thinking about taking a little vacation."

"Where to?"

"Cleveland."

"A vacation on a Hellmouth?" Dean chuckled, making sure he kept his voice low. "Not really an ideal place to have a vacation."

"You know what I mean." Faith waited for him to respond, but instead he just continued eating the rest of his pie. "Dean?" Faith asked when he hadn't said anything. "Are you gonna come with me?"

"To Cleveland? In February?" Dean chuckled. "You know how cold it's gonna be there, right?"

"Point being?"

"It's going to be cold," he said, enunciating the last word. "Oh what the hell, it could be fun."

Faith smiled as she waved down the waitress to bring the check. At least she wouldn't be going to Cleveland alone. But still, it was a far drive from Stanford to Cleveland and there was no telling what kinds of problems they'd run into on the way.

* * *

_March 8th_

After a month on the road, they finally arrived in Cleveland. Just as she had thought, they managed to run into problems in every state they passed through, from shape-shifters, poltergeists, vampires and human's possessed by demon's. It'd been a long month and for a city that Faith had never been to, she'd never been happier to see the sign 'Welcome to Cleveland' as the Impala roared down the busy highway.

Faith laughed as Dean sang along to Black Sabbath's Iron Man, belting out the words like a pro. She turned to look out the window, watching as the sky grew darker as dusk approached quickly. When Dean pulled off the next exit and pulled into the nearest gas station to top up the tank, she used the pit stop as an opportunity to get a few packs of smokes and some snacks.

"So, where to now?" Dean asked when she'd gotten back into the car.

"Uh, I have no idea."

"You're joking right? We came all this way and you have no idea where we're going?"

"Dude, chill," Faith sighed and she spotted a pay phone on the side wall of the building. "Look, one of them has gotta be listed, right?"

"Why don't you just call that Watcher guy?"

"I kind of like the whole element of surprise thing," Faith replied as she got back out of the car and jogged over to the pay phone. Opening up the phone book that was attached, she flipped through it quickly looking for Giles' name. She didn't find any Giles listed in the book and she groaned as she found the S section. The only listing for Summers was a 'Summers, D'. Ripping out the page, she headed back to the car.

"Got something?"

"Hopefully," Faith replied and she grabbed the map for the state of Ohio from the stack in the glove department. "It ain't too far from here."

"Right, let's get a move on then."

Faith grabbed the bag of Doritos she'd bough and opened them, ignoring the look of disgust on Dean's face. He really hated Doritos although she had no idea why. Once she'd found out that little fact, she made a point in buying them whenever she could, just to piss him off.

It didn't take them too long to find the address that was under the Summers, D listing. They parked across the street from the small apartment building in a quiet part of the city, not quite in the city, but not quite the suburbs either. Dean drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he stared at Faith.

"What?"

"You just gonna sit there all night?" Dean asked her. "Or are you gonna go in and make with the big surprise?"

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Faith muttered under her breath.

"Now you tell me," Dean grunted and he turned off the engine. He grabbed the page from the phone book from her hand and scanned over it quickly. "Who is Summers, D?"

"Buffy's little sister, at least I'm hoping it is. Only Summers listed in the book. Couldn't find Giles, which makes sense since he would be smart enough not to be listed."

"And I'm gonna take it the little sister ain't too fond of you?"

"Not so much, no."

Dean got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side and yanked open the door. "Come on," he said as he motioned for Faith to get out. "We came all this way, faced a lot of nasty things along the way. I ain't about to let you pussy out of this."

"Hey, who you calling a pussy?"

"What, no 'takes one to know one' comeback, Faith? You growing all soft on me, sweetheart?"

Faith growled as she got out of the car and slammed the door shut, making Dean wince. "Don't you ever call me a pussy, jerk."

With a wink, Dean lead the way across the street to the apartment building and they walked inside. Faith scanned the list of names beside the call box and spotted it, clear as day. Summers, Dawn, apartment 407. Before she could try to get out of it, Dean was already punching in the number and the ringing could be heard loud and clear, echoing off the small walls around them.

_"Hello?"_ Dawn's voice echoed out of the call box. _"Hello?"_ She said again, sounding irritated. _"Look, if this is someone playing yet another prank, you can go to hell. Stop bothering me!"_

"Hey," Dean said as he stepped towards the speaker. "Dawn?"

_"Who is this?"_

"Friend of a uh, sort of friend of your sister," he said as he glanced back at Faith. "Go on," he whispered. "Say something before she calls the cops on us or something."

"Hey, Dawn," Faith spoke up and there was nothing but silence.

_"Faith?"_

"The one and only."

Dawn didn't respond, but the buzz clicked as she unlocked the door for them. Dean smiled as he pulled the door open and waited for her to walk through.

"Come on, don't tell me you're scared of this chick," Dean chuckled as they headed for the stairwell as there was no elevators for the small building. "Fourth floor, right?"

"What it said on the list," Faith replied as she started to climb the stairs slowly, Dean close behind her. "And I'm not scared of her, Dean."

"The way you're acting tells me otherwise, sweetheart."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Never bothered you before."

"It bothers me _now_."

They didn't speak the rest of the way up the four flights of stairs. Faith didn't know why she was feeling so strung out and nervous. It wasn't like she was showing up on Buffy's doorstep, right? It was just Dawn and even though Dawn could be scary, she didn't pack a punch the way Buffy did.

Faith easily found the right apartment, right down at the end of the hall and before she could knock, the door flung open and she stood face to face with a very angry and pissed off looking Buffy.

_Crap_, Faith thought as she backed up as Buffy stepped out into the hallway. She didn't expect to find Buffy there. Yet, before Buffy could say anything, Dean stepped in between them and held out his hand, smiling that charming smile of his that completely threw Buffy off.

"I'm Dean," he said as she reluctantly took his hand. "Friend of Faith's."

Buffy didn't say anything as she let go of his hand and stepped around him, standing face to face with Faith. "What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't stop by for a little surprise visit, B?" Faith asked, her laughter forced and making her sound more nervous than she thought she oughta be feeling at the moment.

"Surprise is not the word I'd be using," Buffy said coldly. "Unwanted is more like it. What are you doing here, Faith?"

"Whoa, who is the hunk?" Dawn asked as she came out to join them in the hallway. "I'm Dawn. Ignore my sister, she has _really_ bad manners sometimes."

"Dawn, go back inside."

"Are you freaking kidding me, Buffy? Faith just showed up with this gorgeous guy, who _hello_, is standing right there and you've barely even noticed him! Why don't you guys come inside?" Dawn said sweetly and she pushed Buffy out of the way as she grabbed on to Dean's arm.

Chuckling, Faith walked past Buffy, following Dawn and Dean into the apartment. She barely made it two steps inside before she was being dragged back out into the hallway by Buffy.

"What gives, B?"

"You have _no_ right showing up like this."

"Thought that was the whole thing about surprise visits, showing up unannounced and all."

"Nobody has heard from you for ten months, Faith, ten months and then you just show up here randomly and you expect what?"

"Nothing. And that's not true. Called Giles a few times, helped your boy Andrew with a slayer down in Texas few months back and—"

"Are you kidding me right now? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Faith shrugged. "Don't know, that's their deal not mine. So, we gonna do this, B? You gonna deliver one of your sweet right hooks to my face, do it proper? Just like old times?"

"Buffy!" Dawn yelled from inside the apartment. "No fighting in the hallway! I so do not need to be evicted because you can't control yourself."

"You," Buffy said lowly as she backed up into the apartment, her eyes never leaving Faith's. "You are going to explain what you're doing here and why the hell you think you have any right just showing up like this. And then you're going to explain what you're doing with that—that guy!"

"Dean," came the reply from further inside the apartment.

Chuckling, Faith followed her inside the apartment and cautiously shut the door behind her. This was going to be one helluva interesting conversation, one Faith wasn't looking forward to at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

It was no surprise that Dawn was fawning over Dean, hanging on to every word that came out of his mouth as he patiently answered all the questions she kept asking him. Across the small kitchen, Buffy was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes shooting red hot daggers at Faith who was sitting at the small table with Dean and Dawn.

"So, you're a hunter? Kind of like a slayer, but without the slayer parts, like with the strength and speed and stuff," Dawn said as she stared at him, a dreamy look in her eyes. "That is so cool."

"Yeah," Dean grinned and he winced when Faith delivered a sharp kick to his shin under the table.

"Dawn, can you give us a minute?" Buffy asked, the icy undertones in her voice not at all lost on Faith. "Take Dean with you, please?"

Dean gave Faith a little shrug as he followed Dawn out of the kitchen, the sound of her voice fading. Standing up from the chair, Faith looked over at Buffy, knowing she had no choice now but to explain what the hell she was doing there. What was she doing there? The last time she'd spoken to Giles, he wanted her to come for a visit. Obviously Buffy didn't feel the same way and she definitely didn't share the same sentiments as Andrew either.

"What are you doing here?"

"Got the impression I was welcome here."

"By who? Giles?" Buffy scoffed. "He doesn't run things here, Faith, I do and I don't want you here. Not now, not ever."

"Well, I'm here either way, B. Tell you what, I'll stay outta your way if you just tell me where I can find Giles."

"Why don't you call and ask him yourself?"

"And ruin the element of surprise? What's the point of it being a surprise if I gotta call him up and ask for directions to wherever he's living?"

Buffy laughed sharply, but she didn't respond. There was heavy tension lingering between them, and it was different and so very familiar at the same time. Faith couldn't help but wonder what happened to the Buffy she'd seen last, the Buffy she had spent almost all night talking to the night after they left the hole in the ground that was formerly Sunnydale.

They had history, they would always have history and most of it not of the good. Faith had made her peace with that a long time ago and she was sure Buffy had too. What had changed in the last ten months? She had a feeling she wasn't gonna get that answer out of Buffy, at least not when she was angrier than she'd ever seen her before.

Faith scratched at the back of her head idly, the thoughts running through her mind not slowing down for a second. The biggest question she kept asking herself was why was Buffy so pissed off at her? She didn't expect a great big 'welcome to Cleveland' topped off with a hug, that was for sure, but this she hadn't exactly expected either. The longer she stared at Buffy, the harder it was for her to find the words—any words—to say to her.

"You just left," Buffy said quietly.

"What?"

"You just left, in the middle of the night," Buffy said, raising her voice to just above a whisper. "You never told anyone you were leaving, you didn't even say goodbye."

"Is that what you're so pissed about?"

"For all we knew, you were dead, Faith."

"Well, it's not like you tried to find me, did you?"

"Finding you wasn't exactly high on the list of priorities at the time."

"So, let me get this straight, you're pissed cos I left, thought I was dead in a ditch somewhere and yet you never bothered to seek me out? What the hell kind of insane logic is that?"

"We knew you weren't dead," Buffy retorted. "Giles contacted the coven who confirmed you were still alive, but they couldn't give us a location."

"Yet, you're still pissed at me cos I decided to do my own thing? Cos I didn't follow you here like the rest of them? Just like I'm getting now, I was getting these vibes that I wasn't entirely wanted back then."

"Then why are you here now?"

"I told you why, B. You gonna make me start sounding like a broken record if I gotta tell you again?"

Buffy turned her back to her, grabbing a notepad that was on top of the refrigerator. After she scribbled something down, she nearly tossed the balled up piece of paper at Faith. Catching the paper mid, air, Faith raised an eyebrow at her. If that was the way Buffy was going to be, she wasn't gonna be sticking around for very long, that was for sure.

"Would it make any difference if I say I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye, B?"

"Maybe it would've, months ago, but I don't care anymore," Buffy replied coldly, her arms crossing over her chest again. "Who is that guy?"

"You really weren't listening when Dawn practically had him telling her his life story, were you?"

Faith didn't give her a chance to respond. She walked out of the kitchen and found Dean sitting on the couch with Dawn still fawning all over him. It was kind of funny in a ridiculous way, yet she was no different than any other women Faith had seen act like this around Dean. She got it, she got the appeal and hell, she'd fallen for it, twice. She couldn't blame the youngest Summers' for the way she was acting around Dean.

"We're leaving," Faith said as she stared hard at Dean who paid no attention to her. "Dean?"

"Already?" Dean asked and he chuckled softly as he stood up. "It was good talking to you, Dawn."

"Will you two be coming back?"

"No," came the shouted reply from the kitchen. "They are not coming back, Dawnie."

"Come on," Faith said and she had to grab Dean's arm to drag him to the door. "See you around, Dawn."

"Hey," Dawn said quietly as she walked them out into the hallway. "For what it's worth, Faith, I don't feel the same way that Buffy does. It's nice to see you again. Good to have you back."

"I'm not—"

"I know," Dawn smiled, but she was mainly looking at Dean.

Dean was pretty quiet until they were out in the car. Faith unrolled the balled up piece of paper and there was an address written on it. She hoped that it was actually Giles' address, but with Buffy being as pissed as she was, for all she knew she was sending her into a nest of vampires or worse.

"So, what was her deal?" Dean asked. "Buffy. What's her deal?"

"We got a lot of history. Didn't think she'd be too happy to see me."

"And you still wanted to come here?"

"I didn't come to see her," Faith replied. "It's no big. She'll get over it."

"What kind of history do you two got? Kind of got this scorned lovers vibe between you two."

"That's frigging hilarious," Faith laughed loudly. "Me and B? Lovers? Are you outta your mind, dude?"

"Hey, no judgement here."

"Me and B, we weren't like that. It's complicated and just as much my fault as it is hers, only she'll never admit that part."

"Then what were you like?" Dean asked and Faith scoffed and turned to look away from him. "There is a lot you've never told me, I get that and respect that, but after what I saw and heard tonight, you've got some talking to do."

"Yeah, I guess I do."

* * *

There was never a time that Dean couldn't eat and where there was pie, there was always a hearty appetite. After leaving Dawn's apartment, they found a Denny's just a few blocks away. Faith wasn't hungry and settled on a cup of coffee while Dean just stuck with an order of pie and a large Coke.

"When I came to Sunnydale, I was running from this big daddy vamp, ancient guy, Kakistos. He killed my first Watcher and was after me next. It was hard, right from the beginning, coming to Buffy's town and trying to fit in with her and her friends. It was okay for a while, but we were just so different, you know? I didn't use my head then and make a lot of stupid mistakes, mistakes I couldn't just be forgiven for."

Dean nodded, listening intently. He wanted to know the history between her and Buffy and she knew, especially after what he had seen and heard earlier, that she wasn't getting out of not telling him the whole Buffy and Faith history story.

"I made a mistake and killed a guy, thought he was a vamp," she said so quietly she was sure he hadn't heard her, but then his expression changed into something she quite couldn't get a good read on. "After that, it all went downhill and I was drowning." Faith paused, not sure if she could go through it. The memories alone still sometimes kept her awake at night. "I did things to her, to her friends, to her mom that I could never be forgiven for. I nearly killed her boyfriend. I'd gone so far off the deep-end at that point, I just didn't care what happened to me, just as long as I got what I wanted."

"Your little want, take, have philosophy bit you in the ass, didn't it?"

"Pretty much," Faith chuckled dryly. "We had this pretty epic fight and she stabbed me, tried to kill me for trying to kill her boyfriend." Faith had already decided to keep a lot of the other details, the Mayor and Angel to a very bare minimum, if anything. Even though she was telling Dean what he wanted to hear, she was only telling him what she wanted him to know. "Didn't work, obviously, but I landed in the hospital for a while."

"How long was a while?"

"Eight months. Coma."

"Oh."

"When I woke up, I was all about getting revenge on her, you know? Eight months in a coma didn't change a thing for me, but it changed a lot of things for her. New boyfriend, college, living it up like what she did to me didn't even matter in the end."

"How long ago was this?"

"Four years ago," Faith replied softly. "Feels like a lifetime ago." She paused and took a sip of her coffee, it was barely warm anymore, but she hardly noticed. "The Watcher's Council, once they found out I was awake, they sent a Special Operations Team after me. Ended up with me screwing with Buffy even more and then I hightailed it outta Sunnydale as fast as that freight train could take me."

Faith stopped talking when she spotted the waitress making her way over to their table. After she topped up Faith's coffee, she left them alone.

"I ended up in LA where this evil law firm hired me to kill Buffy's ex. Almost got him too, I was so angry and lost. I was done, I'd given up. Buffy's ex was the one who actually saved me from myself, as crazy as it is. Wasn't long after that I turned myself in and spent just over two years in Stockton."

"Got this feeling you're not telling me everything," Dean said, but there was no malice in his voice. "I'm also thinking it's probably best that I don't know everything."

"Yeah," Faith nodded in reply. "But uh, just over a year ago, I got out. Came back to Sunnydale to help Buffy and the others out, that big fight against the First Evil. We weren't on the best terms, not at first when I got back, but it was different than it used to be between us. After Sunnydale, it started changing again and we were talking, but then I just left in the middle of the night. Never said goodbye, never told anyone I was leaving or where I was going. Kind of got the message from B tonight that she's pretty frigging pissed at me for doing that."

"Don't hurt me for saying this, but I was sensing a whole lot of unresolved sexual tension between you two."

"You wish," Faith chuckled.

"You two never—"

"No," Faith stopped him before he could finish that sentence. "Never."

Dean gave her a skeptical look which she responded with one that told him if he continued, she'd kick his ass so hard he'd be out for a week. Dean quietly finished off his pie and paid the check while Faith ducked outside for a quick cigarette before they left to go and see Giles.

She thought it'd make the tension she was feeling in the back of her neck go away if she told Dean about her past with Buffy, but all it did was make the tightness worsen. The whole encounter with Buffy hadn't helped at all, but what else could she expect? Even she knew that she completely ruined any second chance the two of them had at making a friendship work between them.

_And what the hell does he mean by unresolved sexual tension? Jesus_, Faith thought angrily as she took a sharp drag and exhaled slowly.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked as he stepped outside and Faith noticed he had a bag. "Pie for later," he smirked when he caught her eyeing it.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," Faith replied and she dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out the wrinkled paper she'd smoothed out and folded as best as she could. "Here's the address. It's not too far from here."

"You wanna go find a place to crash for the night and go in the morning?"

"No, I want to go now. Willing to bet that Buffy has already called him to bitch him out about him not telling her I'd been in touch with him," she replied with a slight shrug. After taking one last drag, she looked up at the night sky and sighed. "Let's go and get this over with."

"Things aren't really that simple with you and these people, are they?"

"You really have no idea."

* * *

Giles' reaction had been a lot better than the previous 'showing up on the doorstep unannounced' encounter had gone. Yet, the address Buffy had given her had rose some suspicion in both her and Dean when they finally found it. Both had though it had to have been a mistake as they sat in the Impala and looked up at the huge building, most of the windows lit up and handfuls of young teenage girls walking in and out of the building, oblivious to the two staking out the place.

Faith had to slap Dean a few times, reminding him most of the girls there were underage, far too young for him and not to mention more than once, underage. Nobody had stopped them when they walked through the front doors of what looked to be an old hotel. Along the wall by the elevators was a list, a giant list for every floor, all twenty of them. She found Giles' name and they rode up the smooth, quick elevator in silence, Faith slapping that stupid dreamy look off Dean's face for the fourth or fifth time since they'd walked in the doors.

Now it'd been well over an hour since Giles opened the door to his office and welcomed them in with a friendly smile and an offer for a warm cup of tea. In that hour, Dean had warmed up to Giles and they ended up sipping Scotch in the chairs by the fireplace in Giles' office, Dean telling him stories of the jobs he'd been on and all the things he'd seen out there in the world. As Faith knew already, Giles was completely fascinated with everything that Dean was telling him and she could practically see the wheels in his head turning, probably wondering why there was still so much out there in the world he had absolutely no idea truly existed.

"Hey guys?" Faith said, interrupting Dean telling Giles of their latest encounter with a shape-shifter. "As riveting as this all is, I'm gonna take a walk."

"At this hour, I'm sure you'll find the others in the common room."

"The what room?"

Chuckling, Giles stood from the chair and walked over to his large desk. After going through a stack of papers in one of the drawers, he handed Faith a map of the hotel. "You may need this. Do try not to get lost, even with a map."

"I can read a map, thanks."

"Not always," Dean chuckled at her expense and she left, flicking him the finger over her shoulder as she did. "She's something else, isn't she?"

"She sure is. So, tell me again, how did you two come to work together? What is your life like always spent on the road, moving from place to place? It sounds rather fascinating."

Rolling her eyes, Faith headed for the elevator. The floor they were on were mainly offices for the teachers, slayer instructors, Willow and Buffy even had an office of their own as well. From the little that Giles did explain about the old hotel, it was a school to train and house the hundreds of young slayers that were there with them. Giles, from what she gathered, lived there, as did Andrew, Willow and Kennedy. He never once mentioned Buffy and Faith was okay with that as she was still reeling from her last encounter with her.

According to the map Giles had given her, there were common areas on several different floors and each were color-coded. It did't take her too long to figure out what it meant and the purple one on the top floor she gathered was more for Buffy and the Scooby gang.

The elevator doors slid open and she pocketed the map and hit the top floor. With one floor to go, the elevator jerked to a sudden stop. Faith hit the button again, feeling the panic creep up on her and unable to stop it.

"Please enter the password," a computerized female voice said over the speakers. "Please enter the password or proceed to return to the lobby."

"Where the hell do I enter the frigging password and what the hell is the password?" Faith shouted as she spun around the elevator, eyes darting everywhere all at once.

"You have ten seconds to enter the password or proceed to return to the lobby."

"Jesus christ, lady, some help you are!"

There was no number pad to enter whatever the password was, all there was was the numbers for each floor. As the computerized voice started counting down slowly, Faith could feel the panic getting worse and she felt like her heart was in a vice grip as the bright lights dimmed and she could swear she felt like the elevator lurched as if it would drop at any moment.

"This is just as bad as being inside a damn Hellmouth if you ask me," Faith muttered as she grabbed at her chest.

"Password accepted," the computerized voice said cheerfully as the lights flipped back on and the elevator continued up to the next floor.

"What the fu—"

"Faith?" Willow said in surprise as the doors opened. "What in the world are you doing here? We thought when the alarm alerted us the password hadn't been entered and it had started to count down that there might be an intruder coming to kill us all."

"What the fuck was that?" Faith gasped as she gripped at her jacket and shirt, feeling way too constricted.

"Security measure," Willow replied cheerfully. "For living on a Hellmouth, most of the ones that have broken in here in the past sure are dummies."

"You're telling me, I was the one who said using the word Hellmouth as a password was a lame idea," Kennedy called out from behind her. "Hello, Faith."

"Oh, we knew you were already here, Andrew informed us when you stepped through the front doors," Willow said and she motioned to Faith to follow her into the large open area. "That, and I received a phone call from Buffy. She was pretty upset."

"Upset ain't the word I'd use," Faith muttered under her breath as she took a look around the room. There were couches, a big screen TV and a large pool table. Nothing wow about it, but she wouldn't mind playing a game or two on that table, looked like a top of the line professional table, not none of those garbage ones she and Dean had played in bars and pool halls all over the country. "Nice digs."

"It's home," Willow smiled and Faith nodded wearily. Was it just her or was Willow being friendlier than she expected her to be? "It's nice to see you, Faith."

"Is it?"

"Don't let the way Buffy acted speak for the rest of us," Willow said and she sat down on one of the plushy couches next to Kennedy. "Not all of us feel the same way she does."

"Yeah, that's what Dawn said before I left."

"It's true."

"Whatever," Faith shrugged and she pulled off her jacket, the room being a lot warmer than Giles' office had been. "So, you guys all live here then?"

"Yeah, Dawn has her own place since she's enrolled in the university here in Cleveland," Willow replied. "But the rest of us have our own rooms here. It makes more sense for us to all be under the same roof. If there is ever an emergency, it doesn't take us long to assemble in the command center."

"Sounds like some kind of big-time operation you guys got running here."

"Maybe just a little big."

"If I stick around for more than a day, maybe you'll have to fill me in on what you guys have been up to all this time."

"You mean Andrew didn't talk your ear off about it in Texas?"

"Nah, we were too busy planning a way to get Erica outta that holding cell to talk shop," Faith replied and she spotted a comfortable looking armchair not too far from the couch and sat down. "Where is he hiding in this place anyway? I was hoping I could get the jump on him, scare him just a little."

"There are eyes all over the building, he knew you were here before you set foot through the front door," Kennedy replied matter-of-factly. "When he's not out with a team of girls retrieving a wayward slayer, he's in the command center, playing Big Brother."

"So, Faith, where have you been all this time? What have you been doing? Who is that guy that came here with you? Dawn kept yelling over Buffy when she called earlier that he was one gorgeous hunk of man meat, whatever she means by that," Willow replied, blushing slightly at repeating Dawn's words. Kennedy started giggling and Willow turned and gave her a glare that shut her right up.

"Been here and there, long story and I've been on the road most of the day so I'm kind of wiped. And that guy? His name is Dean Winchester, he is a hunter. We've been running together since November."

"Are you two—"

"No," Faith said quickly before Willow could finish asking her what she knew was coming a mile away. "It's not like that with us."

"Dare I ask if Faith Lehane has truly changed her slutty ways?" Xander asked as he walked into the common room to join them. "Hello, Faith."

"Xander, looking good. Bet all the ladies fall for you with that eyepatch, huh?" Faith winked and she couldn't stop the smirk from sliding into place as Xander's face flushed pink.

"Don't give him any ideas," Willow warned with a playful smile. "Well, isn't this nice? Faith comes back and there's no yelling and screaming and fleeing for our lives."

"Ha, ha, Willow," Faith chuckled. She and the powerful witch had bonded, just enough to let their own past go on the ride from LA to Sunnydale. She knew she said it in good humor, that she didn't mean anything by it, just taking a jab at Faith's expense and knowing she wouldn't flip out about it. "And I'm not back, I'm just visiting."

"What? You're kidding right? You're just visiting?" Kennedy was the first to ask what the other two were clearly thinking. "What's out there that isn't here?"

"A whole different world, Kennedy."

"Said all somber-like," Willow whispered with an eyebrow raised. "Just what else is out there exactly, Faith?"

"More than you'd ever want to know."

"But, just visiting?" Willow asked her and Faith nodded. "Why?"

"Like the life on the road," she shrugged. "Never had a place to call home and moving from place to place, no attachments, it works out in the end. At least for me. Works out for Dean too."

"Dean, just who is he exactly?" Xander asked, obviously oblivious to just who Dean was. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Faith laughed. "Hell no, he's not my boyfriend. Never was, never gonna be. You smoking some good Kush, Xander?"

"Huh?"

"Damn, I forget how frigging vanilla you guys can be sometimes," Faith chuckled as the three blank, clueless faces that stared back at her.

"Where are you staying?" Willow asked her and she stopped Kennedy from poking her in the stomach with her elbow. "I know it might be a little weird, but we kind of saved you a room, you know, in case you came here and decided to stay."

"Dean and I will get a motel room."

"In case you haven't noticed," Xander said as he opened his arms and pointedly waved around. "We're in an old hotel. Rooms are aplenty."

"Not exactly," Kennedy muttered.

"We have room for two more."

"Not gonna put you guys through any trouble," Faith said. "Besides, like I said, Dean and I will just get motel room. We've been doing it for months. It's like a home away from home in a way."

"Why don't you guys just stay here for tonight?" Willow insisted. "If you're worried about Buffy, there's very little chance she'll come back tonight. She already planned on spending a few days with Dawn."

"Willow, I told ya we're just gonna—"

"Wil, honey, she doesn't want to stay," Kennedy said and she gently grabbed on to Willow's shoulders and attempted to get her girlfriend to look at her. "If she doesn't want to stay, there's no point in trying to convince her to."

"…and this is our common area," Giles said as the elevator doors slid open and he stepped out with Dean following behind him. "Faith, I do apologize. I had let it slip my mind that there would be a password required to gain access to this floor."

"Whatever, I'm over it. Figured it out, after all, here I am, catching up with old acquaintances."

"You gotta check out their artillery room," Dean said as he checked the room out. "Every weapon you could ever think of, they got at least two, if not more. It's like every hunter's dream stash."

"There's only one weapon missing," Giles replied, grinning as he looked over at Faith and it quickly faded. "The scythe has been placed in a protected room."

"Lemme guess," Faith said as she stared right at him. "Buffy's got it hanging on her bedroom wall, right?"

"As I said, it is in a protected room."

"Figured as much."

"We were just coming to find you," Dean said, not looking at Faith but at the impressive pool table. "Giles offered us a place to stay while we're here. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to say no."

"Dean—"

"Sure will beat another crappy room in another crappy motel, don't you think?" Dean continued, not letting her get a word in edgewise. "What do you think, Faith?"

"I ain't entirely comfortable staying—"

"Giles, where can I park my baby while we're here? I don't want to just leave her out there parked on the streets, if you know what I mean."

"Xander, will you show him the parking garage?" Giles asked, everyone seemingly ignoring Faith, which infuriated her to no end. "Faith, if you'll come with me, I'll show you to your room."

"Look, I was just telling the others that we don't wanna put you guys through any trouble. We'll just get a room at a motel nearby. No big deal."

"Nonsense," Giles said with a shake of his head. "Willow, you did inform her that we have kept a room for her in case she had decided to return, whether it be for a visit or indefinitely?" Upon Willow's nod, Giles clapped his hands together. "Well, come on then, Faith. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the room. Buffy was the one who had insisted when we acquired the hotel that that specific room be kept for you."

Faith shot Dean a look before he followed Xander to the elevator with a certain excitement she'd never seen him have before. Rolling her eyes, she turned to Giles and followed him out of the common room into a long, carpeted and well-lit hallway. Faith was silent, as was Giles as they walked down the long hallway and turned a corner. She was fidgeting with her jacket she held in her hands and the level of awkwardness was rising, also a bit of anxiety as well.

"Look, Giles, I appreciate, you know, you offering us a room to stay, but we're really not gonna be staying long."

"I know," Giles said, not turning to look at her, instead he fumbled with a large key-ring he pulled from his blazer jacket. "But I want you to know you have a home here, Faith, and that you are welcome here any time."

He pulled off a single key from the large ring and handed it to her. Faith took it and sighed heavily as he stepped aside and motioned for her to unlock the door they were standing in front of. With a shrug, Faith slid the key into the lock and turned it, her hand shaking as she pulled the key back out. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous, maybe it was what Giles had said to her about always having a home there, she wasn't sure. She'd never really had a place to call home, the apartment the Mayor had given her had been close to one for a little while, the cell in the prison more of a home than the places she grew up living in Boston.

Giles was the one who hit the light switch on the wall beside the door and flooded the room in a soft light. It wasn't just a room, it was a suite complete with a small kitchen and living room area, the bedroom closed off from the rest of the room. Letting out a soft sigh, Faith stepped further into the room. It was densely furnished, everything was neutral and it felt a bit hotel-ish, but then again, they were in an old hotel.

With a small smile, Giles turned and left her alone in the room. She knew what Giles was trying to do. He was trying to sway her into staying there indefinitely with a room of her own. Willow, Xander, and Kennedy had been a lot nicer than the last time she'd been around them, which kind of threw her. Was this all a part of some sneaky little plan of theirs to get her to come "home"?

Sighing loudly, Faith tossed her jacket on the couch. She had a lot to think about, but she'd already made her decision before she came to Cleveland. This was just a visit. Nothing more. She and Dean would stay a few days and then they'd leave. Simple as that.

This wasn't her home. It never would be, no matter what Giles said to her to convince her of that. Her home was everywhere and nowhere. Nothing about that would ever change.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"What the hell is going on?" Faith yelled as she found the others gathered in the common room. A loud, piercing alarm was ringing and despite it, Willow and Kennedy looked rather calm. "Yo, what the hell?"

"Oh that?" Willow replied and she shrugged. "Demon alarm. Occasionally they try to attack us. It's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? Demons are attacking a place full of slayers and you're telling me there is nothing to worry about?"

"Faith, we're used to this happening. Every once in a while, a demon gets it in their ugly head that they can take us all out, take back the city that used to belong to them," Kennedy replied and Willow nodded with a smile. "Of course, they always lose, but it doesn't stop others from trying. The only thing that can't get past the front door here are vamps."

"And you're just going to do what exactly?" Faith asked over the alarm. "Just sit up here in your nice, safe and cosy—whatever the hell you wanna call it and let these demons just walk in this place and attack?"

"A team of girls are already dealing with it," Kennedy replied. "There is a different team on call every night, so if the alarm goes off, they're ready and on top of it within minutes."

"Then why is the damn thing still going off?"

Kennedy and Willow shared a brief look and it was all it took for Faith to head for the elevator. She wasn't going to stand down while demon's tried to kill the junior slayers. Dean and Xander were down there, at least they were supposed to be. Dean could handle a demon, but not if there was more than just one.

"Faith, wait!" Kennedy called out as she ran into the elevator with her as the doors slid shut. "We don't need to—"

"Yeah, we do, or at least _I_ do. Don't know how you guys run this place, but if a demon comes a knocking, I'm not gonna stand down and let someone else deal with the problem, you feel me?"

"Faith—"

"You guys really changed, haven't you?" Faith said, not letting Kennedy get a word in otherwise. "Don't wanna get your hands dirty fighting a couple of demons so you let the junior slayers deal. What if they can't fight them, huh? You're just gonna let them put their lives at risk just so you can keep your pristine asses safe?"

"You are out of line," Kennedy snapped and she was right in Faith's face, breathing heavily. "You have no idea what it's like here and you have no idea what kind of an operation we run. You haven't been here and you have no right saying what you just said to me. I told you, we have a different team on call every night. These girls, they might be young, but they know what they've gotten themselves into or else they wouldn't even be here."

Faith angrily hit the L button, watching as the numbers lit up as the elevator went down. "You're right, I have no idea what it's like. God, I don't even know why I bothered to come here."

Kennedy shook her head and hit a panel along the back wall of the elevator. The panel dropped down and revealed a cache of weapons hidden in the wall. Grabbing an axe, she motioned for Faith to choose a weapon for herself.

"We are prepared for almost everything here," Kennedy said as the elevator started to come to a slow stop. "Grab a weapon. Hurry."

Faith grabbed a short broadsword. It was light, easy to maneuver and it would do the job. Gripping the handle tight she braced herself as she doors slid open and the sounds of screams could be heard echoing off the walls.

"Come on, it sounds like they're attacking the cafeteria," Kennedy yelled as she took off in a run with Faith hot on her heels.

The scene they came into was something Faith hadn't expected. Three Grappler demons were fighting a dozen young slayers and Dean, with Xander at his side, were trying to fend off a fourth Grappler demon. She'd found one, just once, and they were strong, but not impossible to kill. She ran into the fray, grabbing a Grappler away from two young girls and flinging it across the room.

"What the hell are these things?" Dean yelled as Faith made her way over to him.

"Grappler demons, strong sons of bitches," Faith panted and she swung her sword around as the demon moved to take a swipe at her from behind. The sword cut clean through its head and its body slumped to the floor. "What the hell are you doing in here anyway, Dean?"

"We stopped for a snack," he replied quickly. "Xander's idea, not mine. I still haven't parked my baby yet!"

"And you won't get to unless we can kill these guys," Faith said as she looked over at the demon's fighting and losing against the slayers who looked like they got their second or third wind and we're pushing back, fighting harder than before.

"Here," Xander shouted as he tossed a similar short broadsword towards Dean who caught it effortlessly. Dean smirked and dropped it to the floor.

"Think one of these would work better," he said as he pulled out his gun he always had tucked in the back of his jeans. "Bullets will kill these guys, right?"

"Yeah," Faith nodded as she kept her sword raised and ready. "Why didn't you use this before?"

"The demons backed the girls in here just a minute ago. The fight started in the storage room in the back," Xander said as he pointed to a large broken wall at the back of the cafeteria. "We were, uh…hiding when the alarms went off."

"And I told him what a wimp he was being hiding from demons," Dean chuckled and he raised his gun, aiming for the Grappler that was closing in on Kennedy. He quickly fired two shots, taking the demon down before aiming the gun at the remaining two who were taking a severe beating from the young slayers. "Girls, get the hell out of the way!" Dean yelled out before he fired a few rounds of shots at the demons.

"Everyone okay?" Kennedy asked as the commotion in the room came to an abrupt stop. "Anyone hurt?"

"Badly?" One of the girls asked and she laughed dryly. "We're hurt and beat up, but not in a life-threatening way."

"Everyone all here and accounted for?" Kennedy asked and the girls all nodded, some of them moving to pick up weapons that had been dropped. "Alright," she sighed as she moved to stand in front of the group of girls. "Get yourselves cleaned up and ready for a debriefing in the meeting room in twenty minutes. I want a detailed report of how they breached the building."

"They take this seriously, don't they?" Dean asked Faith quietly as he put his gun back in the waist of his jeans. "Do we gotta go to this thing?"

"Not planning on it," Faith replied.

"So, Dean, how about we go get your car and get her parked safely inside the garage before any more incidents happen?" Xander asked as he motioned for Dean to follow him.

"I'm liking that plan."

"Faith?" Kennedy called out as the young slayers exited the cafeteria. "Your boyfriend just saved us one hell of a fight and possibly losing a few of our girls."

"He's not my—"

"You were right about us coming down to fight," Kennedy continued. "Hate saying it, but you were right. What if Dean wasn't here? What if you weren't? Those girls, they might be good fighters and they are strong, but they've never faced Grappler demons before and they were on the verge of losing this fight before we got here."

"Save it, Kennedy," Faith said as she handed her the sword. "It's over."

Faith walked over to the nearest body, lifeless with green blood oozing out from the two bullet holes, one in the chest and one in the center of its forehead. Her only experience fighting a Grappler demon was shortly after she'd taken off from Buffy and the others. The demon had been controlled by something else and was attacking a bus full of college kids on their way to a party. She later found out that those college kids weren't just regular humans, they were witches, some who were very powerful, and if she hadn't stopped the Grappler demon, they'd all have been dead.

"What are you gonna do with the bodies?" Faith asked as Kennedy moved to stand next to her.

"We'll take care of it. There is an incinerator in the basement we use to destroy demon's once we've killed them. It's better than the alternative in trying to find a place to bury them."

"You always step into the leadership role around here, Kennedy?"

"Only when Buffy isn't here."

"Figured as much. So, you're what, second in command?"

"Not exactly," she chuckled and she pulled out a cell phone from her pocket and quickly dialed a number. "Vi, gather a team and bring them to the cafeteria. We have three Grappler demon corpses that need to be incinerated immediately."

"Vi is still with you guys?"

"All the girls that were with us in Sunnydale are," Kennedy replied and she took a look around the mostly destroyed cafeteria. "So, feel like seeing how the other half lives? We got a meeting to head to soon."

"I'm not—"

"Would it kill you to just give it a chance, Faith?"

"Probably."

* * *

Faith kept her distance from the others as the began to arrive in the large meeting room. There was a oval-shaped conference table in the middle of the room with at least twenty comfortable chairs around it. Everything about the room, about the way Kennedy had handled things a short time before seemed over the top and a far cry from her own world.

"Buffy is on her way," Willow said as she came into the room from a different set of doors than what Faith had followed Kennedy through. "She wasn't happy there was an attack while she wasn't here or that the cafeteria is pretty much destroyed, but she's happy there were no casualties this time."

"Whoa, hold up, _this_ time?" Faith asked. "You mean there have been casualties in previous attacks here?"

"Once," Willow replied. "It was the first attack shortly after we arrived here. We've done some, minor and major improvements since then."

"How'd you people manage to pay for all these upgrades? You rob a bank or something? Are people paying you for saving them from all the big bass around here or what?"

"The Council has always had several assets and funds for several different uses," Giles said as he entered the room using the same door that Willow had moments before. "Most of which would have sat untouched for years to come if we hadn't acquired them for our own uses."

"So what, Buffy and the Scooby gang are rich now, is that what you're telling me?"

"We have a budget and controlled finances," Willow replied as Giles busied himself at the head of the table, sorting out a pile of papers and old, worn books. "It's all completely legal. Giles is the head of the Council now, didn't he tell you?"

"No, he didn't. Nobody did."

"Well, you haven't been here so how would you know?" Kennedy retorted and she took a seat and propped her feet up on the table. "But," she started upon Willow's frown shot in her direction, "I'm sure you've been doing the world a favor doing what you've been doing out there with Dean."

"Aww, Kennedy, are you all upset you didn't get to kill one of the Grappler demons?" Faith teased, sensing the aggression and tension Kennedy was definitely feeling.

"Maybe I would've had the chance to if your boyfriend hadn't shot them!"

"He's not my frigging boyfriend!"

"Ladies, please," Giles said sharply. "If you will settle down and wait for the others to arrive, we can start the debriefing and you can all go on with your regular nightly activities."

Faith chose to stay standing, watching as the girls who had been in the cafeteria fighting the demons arrived, some together, some alone. Dean and Xander were the last to arrive and Dean shot her a look as he took a seat at the more empty end of the conference table.

"Have we started yet?" A breathless Buffy asked as she stormed into the meeting room with Dawn right behind her. "No? Good," she said, sighing in relief as she sat near the head of the table to Giles' right. "Okay, someone start by how these demons breached past the front doors. Who was supposed to be on guard duty tonight?"

"Ms. Summers, we tried to stop them," one of the girls spoke, her eyes trained at her hands folded in her lap. "They were too quick, too strong. We couldn't push them back out."

"There were civilians out on the street," another girl countered, her steely glare focused on Buffy. "It was either put innocent people at risk by pushing them back out or fight inside. We did what we thought was the right thing to do, Ms. Summers."

Buffy nodded and leaned over to whisper something into Giles' ear, something that Faith couldn't quite pick up on from where she stood by the windows. Giles just simply nodded and scribbled something down inside the notepad he had open in front of him.

"You did the right thing, Sarah, but you also put everyone here at risk as well."

"But—"

"You and your team will be put on probation for an undisclosed amount of time. We'll review your methods and after a series of tests and evaluations, we will determine whether or not you and your team are suited here. If you fail, you'll be released and placed elsewhere, and if you prove you are not up to the standards we expect, you will be stripped of your slayer powers and will return to your old lives."

"B, are you for real?" Faith spoke up when she saw the young slayers' faces drop, a few tears falling from the ones who looked scared of Buffy. "If they pushed three Grappler demons back out onto the street, there'd be dead innocent human beings out there and you're giving them shit about it?"

"It's protocol."

"Well, I think it's bullshit."

"Who killed the demons?" Buffy asked, choosing to ignore Faith. When Dean gingerly raised a hand, Faith didn't miss the look of surprise on Buffy's face. "You killed them?"

"Two of them," Dean replied with a cocky smirk.

"With a gun," Kennedy interjected which made that smirk of his disappear the second the words left her mouth.

"A gun?" Buffy didn't look the least bit amused. "Really? And is that how you normally fight demons, Dean?"

"Comes in handy," he replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. Buffy rolled her eyes, not saying a word. "What, are you gonna grill me because I killed them with a gun and not the way you people do it?"

"Excuse me? "You people"? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Listen, little lady, I don't have to explain myself or how I fight to you."

Faith bit her bottom lip, but stayed back as Buffy charged over to Dean and yanked him clean out of his chair.

"Little lady?" Buffy asked through clenched teeth. "I'm going to ask you one more time, who the _hell_ do you think you are?"

"Buffy—"

"Not now, Willow."

"He didn't mean anything by it," Faith said calmly as she moved to where she was holding Dean a few inches off his feet by his shirt. "B, come on. Let go."

"Oh, you want me to let your boyfriend go? Does she fight all your fights for you, Dean?"

"Screw you."

"Dean, shut up," Faith said and she managed to get him out of Buffy's hold and pushed him back. "If you know what's good for you, you'll just shut the hell up. You're just making everything worse!"

"Buffy—"

"What, Willow?" Buffy snapped and Willow flinched at the loudness of her voice. Willow pointed to the screen of her laptop she had open and Buffy's eyes went wide. "We're being attacked?"

"How many?" Giles asked quickly.

"Fourteen, I think, maybe a few more than that," Willow replied as she turned the laptop back to her and tapped a few keys. "Most definitely more Grappler demons. I think they're pretty angry that we killed three members of their clan."

"We can't fight them hand to hand, not with that many against us," Buffy said and she turned to look at Dean. "Are you a good shot?"

"What, now you want me to help after you just pulled that shit with me?"

"Dean," Faith said as she shot him a warning glare. "You gonna help or what?"

"Yeah, I'm a good shot," he replied as he pulled his gun out and flicked the safety off. Buffy just laughed as she walked over to the whiteboard on the wall and hit a switch. "What you laughing at?"

"You're going to need a bigger gun than that."

"Xander, take Dean to the third floor, the balcony there should provide enough cover for you two to take as many of them down as you can," Giles said as Buffy tossed Dean an impressive looking sniper rifle. "I'll send out the call for the rest of the girls to gather in formation. We'll hit them in waves and whatever you do—"

"Don't die?" Faith asked.

"Don't let them get past the first floor," Giles finished. "Now hurry!"

Following Buffy, Faith jogged beside her down the hallway and to a stairwell door. There were hidden compartments just inside the stairwell entrance and Buffy handed her a much larger sword than she'd handled before.

"Why do I get the feeling that us being attacked by Grappler demons and you arriving tonight is not just a coincidence?" Buffy asked and she started down the stairs. "It isn't a coincidence, is it, Faith?"

"Hell if I know," Faith replied, staying as close to her as she could. "I ain't seen one of these ugly bastards for months. I'm here what, not even an hour and they're attacking the place? I'm calling it a coincidence, B. Besides," Faith said as they came to a sudden stop. "These demons? They're controlled by other beings, doing the dirty work for those who either don't want to or can't."

"Let's just get rid of them."

"You got a plan or—"

"Stay close," Buffy said quickly and she kicked open the stairwell door, taking off in a quick sprint across the demon infested lobby. "Come on, Faith! Move! Now!"

"Fuck," Faith groaned and she took off after Buffy, dodging out of the way of strong Grappler fists that flung at her from every direction.

Two stories up, on the balcony that opened up over the large open space in the lobby, Faith spotted Dean and Xander, both aiming their guns down at the demons below. Diving to the floor and missing being knocked out cold by a fraction of an inch, Faith scrambled to catch up to Buffy.

A wave of young slayers charged into the lobby, distracting the Grappler demons that weren't being shot at by Xander and Dean from the balcony. It gave Faith and Buffy the perfect chance to take cover without being noticed, choosing to crouch behind a huge potted plant nestled in a tight corner.

"So much for a night off," Buffy muttered under her breath. "Why did you have to come here?"

"Can we save the small talk for later, B? Besides, I already told you why I'm here."

Buffy grumbled as she turned to peer around the edge of the huge pot that was keeping them hidden from view. "Only four down. There are way more than ten left out there. Willow's count was wrong," she said in a hushed whisper as she moved to crouch closer to Faith. "Why are they attacking us?"

"My guess is as good as yours, B. I've got no frigging clue!"

"We fight for Nereza," one of the demon's roared from near where they were taking cover. "For Nereza we will fight and we will die in Her honor!"

"Who the fuck is Nereza?" Faith asked quietly and Buffy shook her head as she clamped a hand over Faith's mouth to keep her quiet.

A ferocious roar sounded near them and over the sounds of gunfire, Faith could hear the deafening blows as each Grappler demon feel lifelessly to the floor. Taking her chance, Faith pulled Buffy's hand away from her mouth and leapt out from behind the potted plant. Only a few Grappler demons were still standing, the rest were dead, their bodies scattered over the lobby floor. She looked up at the balcony as Dean whistled and she made a run for the front doors.

"Hit the switch!" Xander yelled down at her.

"What frigging switch?"

Buffy was at her side and hitting a small symbol painted on the wall by the doors and a heavy metal gate came sliding down as a handful of Grappler demon's tried to charge through from the street. "That switch," Buffy said breathlessly. "Come on, it won't hold them for long."

Faith turned her back to the solid metal gate, ignoring the sounds of the glass doors being shattered beyond them and the creaking of the metal giving way as the demons tried to make their way inside. Dean fired three shots as the last of the demons in the lobby and Buffy ran to the group of slayers, most of them beaten badly and unable to fight anymore.

"Get to the top floor, now," she demanded and the girls rushed off. "Faith? Let's go. Let's finish this."

"How we gonna do that exactly? Don't know how many are out there or how many more are gonna follow."

"Are you going to fight or are you going to waste time asking questions?"

Without arguing, Faith followed Buffy up a flight of stairs and they joined Xander and Dean on the second floor balcony. "Xander, go up to the top floor and keep the girls safe," Buffy said as she took the sniper from him. "Dean, are you good to keep going?"

"I could go all night, baby."

"I can see why he's your boyfriend," Buffy muttered.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Maybe in another life, babe," Dean winked at Faith. "Or maybe not," he winced after she punched him hard in the shoulder. "Let's just clear one thing up, Buffy. Faith and I? We're not together like that."

"Can we not have this conversation now?"

"Hey, you're the one who brought it up, B," Faith replied quickly. "So, are we gonna fight or are we gonna stand here and bicker like children?"

"Where do you need me?" Dean asked as Buffy peered down over the edge of the balcony.

"Dean, you need to get to the roof and take the demons out before they can get in," she replied and she motioned to a doorway behind them. "That's the quickest way."

"You coming with or what?" Faith asked as Dean made his way to the doorway. "B?"

"_We_ are staying in case they break past the barrier."

"Stay," Dean called out as he pushed the door open. "I'll take care of those sons of bitches."

Faith watched him disappear, the door shutting quickly behind him. Turning to Buffy, she took a moment just to catch her breath, the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins not slowing down for a second. She'd faced a lot of things in the last ten months, been in a lot of situations where she was fighting for her life, but this topped them all.

"Look, B, I just wanna say I'm sorry," Faith said quietly, earning her a glare from Buffy. "Sorry for leaving without saying a word and sorry for showing up like this. I know ya don't want me around, so as soon as we deal with these demons, we're gone."

"Faith, I—" Buffy stopped herself and frowned. "I don't want you not here. You kind of surprised me showing up at Dawn's apartment like that earlier. I should be the one apologizing for the way I acted. I was out of line and the things I said—"

"Yeah, whatever," Faith brushed her off, her eyes widening at the sound of the metal gate starting to give away. "We'll hash this out once these demons are dead, yeah? Cos right now I'm not sure Dean is gonna make it to the roof in time to kill them before they get in here."

"Dean really isn't your boyfriend?"

"What difference does it make?"

"No difference, just—"

"Duck!" Faith yelled as a barrage of arrows flung towards them from the small opening in the metal gate the demons had bent back. She flung herself at Buffy and they tumbled to the floor. "We gotta—"

"Fight. Yeah."

Faith stared down at Buffy, not moving to get up from on top of her. Faith could feel something inside her stirring as she stared down into Buffy's intense hazel eyes. She shuddered as she felt Buffy's warm breath against her face and before she could stop herself, she leaned down that last few inches and crushed her lips against Buffy's in a hard and urgent kiss that made the world stop for just a few precious seconds.

Buffy dropped her weapons and slid her hands into Faith's hair, pulling her closer as she deepened the already heated kiss. Faith's head was spinning, her heart was racing and the adrenaline fueling its way through her body was more than she'd ever felt at any time in her whole existence. The deafening crashing sound made her pull back from Buffy, yet she couldn't take her eyes off of her.

"We should—"

"Fight," Faith nodded, her head still spinning from the intensity of the kiss she sure didn't see coming.

"I think we'll be able to actually fight if we're not—if you're not on top of me."

"Right."

Faith moved off of her and grabbed the sniper from the floor. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she raised the sniper just over the edge of the balcony railing and took aim at the first Grappler demon that came into sight. Dean had taught her how to shoot under pressure since a gun was different than the standard crossbow she was used to. She inhaled sharply and squeezed the trigger, the shot taking out the demon she had in the crosshairs.

A few shots rang out, not from her, but from what she suspected was Dean. Warm hands slid over the back of her neck and warm, soft and wet lips captured hers as the rest of the world fell away from her again. It wasn't long before Faith came to her senses and realized what was happening. She allowed herself to be kissed thoroughly, to be consumed by lips she never thought she'd get a chance to know what they felt like against her own, lips that were kissing her with such intensity that she almost forgot they were still very much in the middle of a demon attack. She backed away from Buffy abruptly, her hands still wrapped around the gun.

"B—"

"We should make sure they're all, you know, dead," Buffy said quickly as she stood up and peered over the edge of the balcony.

"B, what just—"

"I don't see any more demons, not live ones anyway," Buffy cut her off and she shook her head. "I'm going to check the street. You check the lobby."

"Buffy?" Faith called out, but Buffy was already running down the main stairs and through the lobby. "What the hell just happened?"

Faith tried to catch her breath, the kiss itself had left her breathless and her head was swimming with questions she knew she wasn't going to get the answers to anytime soon. Turning around, still on her knees, she peered over the edge of the balcony and looked down into the lobby. A quick scan over of the demon bodies on the floor and she counted seventeen. God only knew how many more had been outside or how many more were coming for them.

Rising to her feet, she slung the strap of the sniper rifle of her shoulder and headed for the stairs. A crashing sound in the stairwell made her stop and she pointed the gun towards the closed door. Her finger was hovering over the trigger, ready to fire as she heard another loud crash. Inhaling sharply, she waited and barely blinked an eye as a Grappler demon, slightly smaller than the rest, came crashing through the door head first.

Faith pulled the trigger, but she missed the demon as it lunged towards her. She hit it in the face with the butt of the gun and the demon swatted it out of her hands, growling as meaty hands grabbed at the front of her shirt.

"Hey, you big ugly bastard!" Dean yelled as he came out from the stairwell, kicking aside the door that barely hung off one hinge. "Hey, you!" Dean yelled again, picking up a piece of the wooden door and threw it at the back of the demon's head. "Yeah, hey, I'm talking to you, you ugly son of a bitch!"

The demon pushed Faith away and turned to face Dean. The growl sounded menacing and Faith knew it was angry. Very angry and looking to spill some blood. It gave Faith a small window of opportunity and she dove to the floor and slid across the marble floors, grabbing her sword from where she'd dropped it before.

"You really do have a death wish, don't you?" Faith asked as she leapt to her feet, the demon already within inches of striking at Dean who wasn't moving and had his gun aimed for its head. "Dean, get outta the way!"

Faith didn't wait for him to move as she swung the sword at the demon before it could take what she knew would be a deathly blow at Dean's head. The tip of the sword just nicked the back of the demon's head and it turned its attention back to Faith. Twirling the sword, she had the demon's attention long enough for Dean to get a shot in to the back of its head.

"Snuck up behind me while I was on the roof, which wasn't the actual roof, but the one over the garage," Dean said, panting as he reloaded his hand gun and shoved it in the back of his pants. "Got a good vantage point up there, picked the rest of them off and then this one showed its ugly face, yelling something about Nereza."

"Yeah, we heard one of 'em say that name too."

"Who or what the hell is Nereza?" Dean asked.

"Beats me, but I got a feeling we're not going anywhere anytime soon, man."

"Where's Buffy?"

"Making sure the dead demon's are dead."

Dean nodded, already moving towards the staircase to head down into the lobby, exactly where Faith should've already been. Faith followed him, her mind suddenly feeling like a fog had settled in.

Using the tip of the sniper rifle, Faith poked at several dead demon's as she made her way through the lobby. By the fourth one, she heard a low growl coming from a demon to her right and she raised the gun and pulled the trigger, hitting the demon in the side of the head and watched as the body went slack. Faith continued on, checking the rest and she barely looked up as Buffy came back in from outside and pulled the rest of the metal gate away from the door with a few hard tugs.

It wasn't long before a few dozen slayers started to file into the lobby. Faith and Dean stood back and watched as they all worked together in clearing the dead demon's out of the lobby, piling the bodies near the service elevator so they could be taken to the incinerator in the basement and burned. Through all the commotion, Faith hadn't seen Buffy since she had come back inside from the street.

"So, we're staying then?" Dean asked as he bumped an arm against Faith's to get her attention. "This is not just a visit anymore, is it?"

"No, it's not," she sighed heavily. "You okay with that?"

"Only if you are."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

There was a new darkness looming in Cleveland and the demon attack had just been the beginning. The later the night became, the more tired and restless everyone got. The meeting room was filled with young slayers, a research team as Giles had explained to Faith once they'd all gathered there hours before. The table had dozens of different books laid out along with a few now empty pizza boxes and soda cans.

"Has anyone found anything on Nereza?" Willow asked, the quiet din in the room becoming silent. "Nothing? We've been at this for hours now, guys, there has to be _something_ in one of these books!"

"It's useless," Buffy groaned as she tossed the book she'd been flipping through for the last hour on to the table in front of her. "There is nothing that mentions Nereza. Wil, did you check the database?"

"Only about a hundred times," she replied, frowning as she pulled up the database on her laptop again. "Nothing even close to Nereza shows up. We have nothing but a name to go by and there are dozens of demons and Gods and Demi-Gods who summon Grappler demons to do the dirty work for them."

"Maybe I should call Sam?" Dean said to Faith quietly from their end of the table where they'd purposely separated themselves from the others. "He might be able to help."

"He's in California."

"Hey, this could be world-ending danger," Dean replied. "Sam will come. If anyone can find out anything on this Nereza character, it'd be him."

"Call him," Faith replied quietly.

"Call who?" Giles asked as he walked down to their end of the table to retrieve one of the books they had by them.

"My brother, Sam," Dean replied. "He's always been a pro at the researching gig."

"Ah, well, the more help we have in the matter, the better. And where is your brother located? Not locally, I'd imagine."

"He's in Stanford," Dean said as he fished out his cell phone from his pants pocket.

"He is a student there?" Giles asked and Dean nodded. "He would be willing to leave his studies to help us?"

"Guess we'll find out," Dean said as he dialed a number and held the phone to his ear as he headed out of the room for a little bit of privacy.

"Have you met his brother?" Giles asked Faith and she nodded. "Do you believe he'll be of help here?"

"Don't know, Giles, but I trust Dean and if he thinks Sam can help, then who am I to tell him not to bother calling him?"

"We could be in a very dire situation."

"What else is new," Faith muttered under her breath. "Besides, it's getting close to the time when the yearly apocalypse is bound to happen one way or another."

"You jinxed it!" Xander yelled from across the room. "Why would you jinx it, Faith?"

"She's probably right," Willow replied, frowning as she shot Xander at look that made him open and close his mouth several times.

"A demon attack on that scale is more than just a coincidence," Buffy said and all eyes in the room turned to her. "How many times have we been attacked since we've been here? Four times? And of those four times, how many times has it been that it's been more than just a demon or two? This is far bigger than it just being a coincidence that they attacked us in such a large group, tonight of all nights."

"You mean right as Faith and her boyfriend showed up?" Dawn asked and Faith rolled her eyes.

"You're not gonna give that up, are you?" Faith asked her. "For the last frigging time, Dean is not my boyfriend!"

"So, he's single then?" Dawn asked, wriggling her eyebrows a little. "Hey!" She gasped as Buffy smacked her lightly on the shoulder. "What was that for?"

"He's too old for you, Dawnie," Buffy said sternly. "Now just forget about it."

While the two bickered back and forth, Faith took the opportunity to go out into the hallway to check on Dean. He was still on the phone, but he wasn't talking and his face was slightly pale as he listened to Sam talk rapidly over the phone. Once he noticed Faith, he held the cell to his chest.

"We know who Nereza is," he said quietly. "Sam has some books with him and he found out who she is as soon as I mentioned the name."

"Well, who is she?"

"A very powerful Goddess that's supposed to be mythical, as in she isn't supposed to exist."

"Are you sure?"

"Sam, no just shut up for a second," Dean said into the phone. "You're absolutely sure that's who she is? Yeah, I realize that she's not supposed to be real, but you know as well as I do that a lot of things that aren't supposed to be real or exist do."

Faith leaned against the wall, watching as Dean just listened to Sam speak. A Goddess. That was way out of their level of expertise and even though Buffy had fought a Hell God before, Glory, she and a feeling they were dealing with something very different than that.

"Call me when you get here then and I'll swing around to the airport and pick you up," Dean said and he sighed loudly as he ended the call. "Sam is gonna get on the next flight here. He has resources these people don't have."

"Obviously if he figured out who Nereza was in what, five minutes when we've been frigging looking for the last three hours," Faith muttered bitterly. "Look, I need a smoke. Why don't you go break the news to the others and maybe we'll be able to get some sleep tonight instead of spending it going through a bunch of useless books."

Faith was tired and restless, just like everyone else was. She found her way down the hallway to a small balcony patio. It was cold, but the corner provided some relief from the harsh wind that whipped around the side of the building. The relief the first inhale of her cigarette flowed through her and she closed her eyes as she huddled against the wall, cigarette dangling from between her lips as she shoved her hands into her pockets.

She wondered what the difference between a Hell God and a Goddess was, if there even was a difference. Whatever Sam had told Dean, on top of what he relayed to her, he looked scared and she'd never seen him like that in the months she'd been with him, day in and day out. Would they be able to fight this Goddess and whatever she sent after them? The Grappler demon attack was just the beginning, they all knew that, but Faith wondered if it was just a test before the real attack would come. They did hold their own and Dean proved himself to everyone else and she knew that there had been a lot of doubts before that attack, especially when it came to whether Dean could hold his own or not.

Life was a lot easier out on the road, yet Faith had a feeling whether they decided to come to Cleveland or not, she would've ended up there one way or another. Maybe with Dean, maybe not. Even though she was feeling the urge to run from Cleveland as fast as she could, she knew she had to stay. The situation with Nereza could be huge, bigger than any of them could even imagine at the moment and if she ran, she'd prove herself to be a coward and definitely wouldn't be welcome anywhere near there ever again. And a coward she was not, even when she was still reeling from kissing Buffy during the middle of a demon attack.

Choosing to forget about it as much as she could, trying to convince herself it was just a slip up, a heat of the moment accident that just happened. She tried to convince herself she didn't feel the sparks the instant Buffy's lips had touched her own and that she didn't feel like the whole world had stopped for a few seconds when Buffy kissed her that second time. The harder she tried to forget, to push it all to the back of her mind, the more she thought about it and the more she could feel the ghosting of Buffy's lips over her own even when she bit her bottom lip in an attempt to feel anything else but that.

"I'm here for not even half a day and already she's messing with my head. Again," Faith muttered to herself and she rolled her eyes as she took a few long drags of her cigarette, each time she inhaled deeply and sharply.

"Hey."

"Jesus christ, Dean!" Faith yelled at him as he stood a few feet in front of her, seemingly have appeared out of nowhere.

"Whoa, what's with the big freak out, Faith?"

"I was…thinking," she replied lamely. "What are you doing out here?"

"Came to tell you the big research party is over now," he replied and he pulled his jacket tighter around himself. "So really, what's with the big freak out? Not the first time I've snuck up on you while you'd been deep in thought about…whatever it is you're deep in thought about."

"It's none of your frigging business."

"We're friends, right?"

"Partners," Faith corrected him and he just raised an eyebrow at him. "Friends too, sure, if ya wanna put a label on it."

"Talk to me then."

"About what? The weather and how frigging cold it is and how I'm wishing we'd stayed south and rode out the winter without actually experiencing winter?"

"You know, I may not have known you for long, but we've spent a lot of time together and there's one thing I know about you."

"Oh yeah, what's that, Dean?"

"That you're a really shitty liar."

Faith put her cigarette out in the empty flower pot on the table near her and quickly lit another despite the look Dean gave her. She knew how much he hated that she smoked and she'd even tried to give it up, making it a whole two weeks at one point before she was bitching at him and nearly put her fist through the Impala's windshield once.

"Something happened tonight, didn't it?"

"Yeah, demon attack, we were both there, all present and accounted for," Faith replied with a roll of her eyes. She hated that even in the few months they'd known each other, he could read her so well.

"Something else."

"What is this something else you're implying about, dude, cos I have no idea what the hell you're getting at here!"

"Don't know, why don't you tell me?"

"Ain't nothing to tell."

"Liar," Dean provoked her and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, I know, I got a set of steel balls right now, but sue me if I'm still all jacked up after that fight."

"You're spending way too much time with me and now you're starting to sound like me."

"Oh yeah, cos I'm all wicked bad ass and sexy as hell, all five by five, kicking ass better than anyone else," Dean replied in a high voice that had him ducking out of the way of Faith's fist flying towards him. "Damn, Faith, what the hell was that for? I was just joking around."

"I wasn't."

Dean held his hands up as he stepped back from Faith. "What's your problem?"

"You getting in my face about things you don't understand, that's my problem."

"You mean Buffy?"

Faith clenched her jaw and in her head she was beating Dean to death, yet in reality she stuck to glaring at him as he took a few more steps away from her, putting a safe distance between them.

It had bothered her before when Dean thought there was something more between her and Buffy, but it bothered her more now since he didn't seem to be letting go of the issue. To make it worse, she'd _kissed_ Buffy and now everything was a giant mess inside her head and the only way she knew how to deal was by trying to ignore it and that meant Dean as well.

"You didn't tell me the whole truth, did you?"

"You're not gonna let that go, are you? I already gave you the whole Buffy and Faith history story and yeah, I left out some details that weren't entirely important. I'll tell you once, I'll tell you a hundred frigging times, there was never anything between me and Buffy. Never will be. Now would you just drop it before I kick your ass so hard you'll be in the hospital for a week?"

"Could've fooled me," Dean replied quietly. "See, whether you like it or not, Faith, I _know_ you. This act of yours doesn't work on me. You want to know why you're so pissed off at me?"

"Enlighten me."

"You're in love with her," he said as he stepped dangerously close to her. "You don't want to be, but you are, and it pulls you apart inside being around her. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's why you ran away from her in the middle of the night, because you were scared things were changing between you two, that you were getting closer to having exactly what you wanted and that was Buffy. And you're pissed at me because I can see it and I'm calling you on it. You wanna take a swing at me? Tell me to go fuck myself? Go right ahead, Faith."

Dean was testing her. He knew how to get under her skin. He knew her better than she wanted to admit he did, but then again he had been the only one she'd let the walls down for, even if she hadn't told him everything about her past, or about Angel, or why she really was in prison or the fact that she'd broke out to save Angel and that she was sure she was still wanted for murder and was always looking over her shoulder, thinking that one day she'd be caught. For someone who didn't know everything about her, he sure knew enough about things she didn't even want to admit to herself.

_Am I really that transparent? Can anyone else see that or is it just him?_ Faith wondered and she took a long drag of her cigarette, her eyes moving down to look at her boots.

"I'm right, ain't I?"

"What, you want a medal or something?" Faith snapped. "Jesus."

"So," Dean said with a small smile. "Since we're gonna be here for a while, have you ever thought of telling her how you feel?"

"Hell no. You do realize who you're talking to, right? I don't do love. I don't do relationships or commitment of any kind."

"Not true," Dean replied. "What do you call us? Friendship takes commitment and you've been pretty damn good that that. Friendship is also a relationship and there's gotta be a little bit of love in there—of the friend kind—if you stuck around with me for this long, right?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Do you ever get tired of being right?"

"Only when I'm not, sweetheart."

"Stop calling me that!"

Dean chuckled as he causally threw an arm around her shoulders. "Lighten up, Lehane. It's me, in case you've forgotten. You don't gotta lie or hide shit from me. What happened tonight that has you acting like a spoiled little kid who didn't get everything they wanted for Christmas?"

"I kissed her," Faith muttered as she shrugged him arm away. "I kissed her. Don't even know why, just did, you know? And then after I took out a demon from the balcony, she frigging kissed me!"

"And that's bad?"

"Catastrophic!"

"Aren't you being a little over-dramatic about a couple of kisses here, Faith?"

"It's Buffy."

Dean scratched the back of his head, looking like he was trying hard to understand why Faith was making such a big issue out of a moment she and Buffy had together in the middle of a demon attack.

"I still don't get it, Faith. It was what, two kisses? Since when does kissing someone rile you up like this? I've seen you kiss random men and you never battled a single eyelash about it," Dean said softly and he paused, watching her as she took another drag of her cigarette and avoided looking at him completely. "Is this because Buffy is a chick? There's nothing wrong with that, you know. In fact, any time you wanna kiss her again, I wouldn't say no to seeing a little girl-on-girl action."

"Asshole," Faith chuckled, unable to stay mad at Dean. "Do us both a favor and just drop it, all right? Just forget we even had this conversation."

"So, what, you're just gonna forget how you feel about her, shut it off like it's some kind of switch you can shut off?"

"Did it before, I can do it again."

"Just like that?"

"Alcohol helps," Faith shrugged and Dean just laughed. "What do you say we go find us something to drink?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"Good," Faith smiled at him and she put her cigarette out and led the way back inside. As they approached the elevators, she turned to him and stopped him from hitting the button. "What we talked about out there, stays out there."

"You can trust me. Won't say a word."

And she knew she could. Out of everyone who had been in and out of her life, she could trust Dean with her life if came down to it.

* * *

Dean was checking out her room when she'd come back from the common room with a six pack of beer she'd found in the fridge in there. Handing him one, she sat on the couch and cracked hers open.

"It's nice."

"It's just a room," Faith replied and she took a swig. "But it's nicer than some of the places we've been."

"Yeah, it is," Dean said with a nod. "I think you should stay here, you know, after we deal with Nereza and it's all over."

"What?" Faith asked, glaring at him as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "You don't want me to be around anymore, is that it?"

"No, that's not true and you know it, Faith. You belong here—"

"Why, because there are slayers here?"

"That's one reason," he replied and he sighed heavily when she flipped him off and downed nearly half of her beer. "You would've ended up here eventually, you know that, right?"

"Eventually as in not now or any time soon."

"Look, Faith, I don't wanna fight with you tonight," Dean said tiredly. "Whatever your issues are, I get it, it's complicated and you're right, maybe I don't understand, but that doesn't mean I don't want to try." He shook his head and sipped his beer for a moment, giving Faith some time to let the words sink in. "I am _not_ trying to ditch you or make you feel like I don't want you around anymore, that's really not the case here, but from what Giles told me of this place, it seems like you'd be better off here in the long run."

"And what about you? You're just gonna keep doing what you do by yourself?"

"What do you think I was doing before I met you?" Dean asked and Faith rolled her eyes. "Look, we had a good thing going while it lasted, but right now we're in something huge and I'm just trying to look at the bigger picture for once. Besides, I got a feeling that once Sam gets here and gets deep into this situation, he's gonna stick around for a while and I won't be as alone out on the road as I have been for a while, you know?"

Faith sighed loudly as she stared down at her can of beer. She was trying to understand why Dean wanted her to stay and she kind of got it, she did belong there, yet the problem wasn't whether or not she belonged there, but whether or not she was wanted there. That was the only thing that would make her stay and it didn't matter if anyone else said that she was wanted, it all came down to what Buffy wanted, how she felt and if Buffy wanted her to stay, if she flat out asked her, then Faith knew she wouldn't even hesitate and she'd stay.

That's what it all came down to, Buffy. Dean had been right before about why she'd really left them in the middle of the night. She had been scared, scared because her and Buffy were finally getting along and old feelings were starting resurface, feelings she really didn't want to have to deal with all over again. Yet it had felt different and it was different and that scared her, scared her because she had caught a glimpse of something she wanted more than she cared to admit. So, she'd done the only thing she'd ever been good at and left without looking back.

_Get it together, Lehane. You're not the type to get hung up on just one person like this. You're not even the type to be stressing over a couple of kisses that meant nothing_, Faith scolded herself, a deep frown forming over her lips as she tried to forget about Buffy just for a minute.

"You know, even if you stay here, I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to come help out and deal with a couple of jobs that are a little more up your alley than mine," Dean said, smiling at Faith as he grabbed another can of beer and cracked it open. "You know, just because we might not be around each other all the time once this is over, doesn't mean I'm gonna be outta your life."

"Right, like you could get rid of me that easily, dude," Faith chuckled. "And I like that idea, about coming out to help you deal with shit you can't do on your own. In fact, I think I'm already looking forward to doing just that. What do you think is gonna happen here? I mean, none of us have ever dealt with a Goddess before."

"Sam said that the Goddesses are never usually violent, but they can display malevolent behavior. Nereza must have something she's after and whatever it is, it's here," Dean replied and he scratched the back of his neck. "No idea what it could be. It could be one of the girls, maybe it's the witch?"

"Whatever it is, we're gonna figure it out," Faith shrugged, the exhaustion, both mental and physical, kicking in harder than before. "And the witch has a name. Willow."

"Right, I knew that."

Faith rolled her eyes as she laughed at Dean. "Look, I'm gonna crash. Take the beers or leave 'em," she said, waving to the few beers that were left and sitting on the small coffee table. Dean got to his feet and grabbed them before he headed for the door.

"Night," he waved over his shoulder as he opened the door and stepped out.

"Later," Faith called out before she leapt up and shut the door behind him and locked it.

Faith grabbed her duffel bag from where it sat near the bedroom door and walked into the dark room. She tossed her bag on the big bed that took up most of the room, definitely not a standard hotel room bed from what she could tell. Shrugging, she stripped out of her clothes and pulled back the sheets. It'd been a long time since she'd gone in the buff, never daring to sleep in less than her panties and a tank top with Dean in the same room. The sheets felt cool and smooth against her skin as she laid down and pulled the duvet over her body.

Sleep was far off despite how tired she felt. Already it had been a long day, one that had seemed to never end and she knew, just from a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach, that tomorrow would be the same and so would the day after that and the day after that…

* * *

_March 14th_

They had been in Cleveland for a week and Sam still hadn't shown up. First his flight was delayed twice because of weather and then it was cancelled. When he tried to get a refund for his ticket and change it to the next available flight, his credit card threw up a bunch of red flags and he was arrested for an entire day on the assumption he was in possession of a stolen card.

Dean had left Cleveland three days ago, driving across the country to pick Sam up in case he ran into any more problems trying to fly out to Cleveland. Faith had stayed behind, not because she wanted to, but because Dean did. It left her miserable and angry, yet once she'd found the training room, she spent most of her time in there, trying to avoid just about everyone else as much as she possibly could get away with.

"I heard there is something big happening," one of the young slayers said from across the training room as she and three others jogged on the treadmills at a brisk yet leisurely pace. "And by big, I mean apocalypse big."

"No way, there would've been a memo!"

"I also heard that they have no idea just what is going on. That demon attack last week was a part of it," the first girl said and she shook her head as she glanced over at Faith who was hitting the weights. "It's probably a good thing that she's here now. I mean, we're good at fighting and all, but we've still got a long way to go before we're as good as she and the General are."

Faith snickered as she pulled a few more reps and placed the handheld weights down on the rack. After nearly two days in Cleveland, she learned that many of the younger slayers called Buffy the General behind her back and she also learned that Buffy was highly aware of it and that it pissed her off to no end. There was just nothing she could do about it. But Faith could. She should. She wanted to, but that would just create more problems than she was willing to deal with.

Picking up her towel, she wiped at the back of her neck and headed for the doors, leaving the young slayers to gossip to their hearts content, especially now that she wasn't in the room.

"Faith, I was just looking for you," Xander said as he came to a stop after jogging down the hallway.

"I've been in there all morning, how hard did ya look?" Faith quipped and she winked as she headed for the elevators, looking forward to a nice long, hot shower to sooth her aching muscles. "What do you want, Xander?"

"Actually, we were kind of wondering if you'd heard from Dean? He's been gone for a few days and—"

"He's not in California yet," Faith cut him off. "Probably won't be for another day and then once he's picked up Sam, he won't be back for what, a week tops?"

"A week? Do you honestly think we have a week?"

"Has anything happened since that demon attack?" Faith asked him sharply and he sputtered as he shook his head no. "So, don't stress about it, Xander. Whatever Nereza is after, taking out her pet demons obviously put a little damper on whatever plan she has. Bought us some time, who knows how much, but hey, I'll take whatever time we got right now."

The elevator doors opened and Faith stepped inside, hitting the top button quickly as Xander just stood there, his mouth gaped open slightly. With a little wave as the doors slid shut, Faith backed up against the wall and let out a heavy sigh. She watched the numbers light up as the elevator zoomed up swiftly and her stomach lurched as it came to a stop on the fifth floor and the doors slid open quickly.

"Oh," Buffy said in surprise as she noticed Faith standing in the elevator as she walked in, her attention otherwise on the folder she had open in her hands. "Faith."

"B," Faith nodded and she hit the top button again as she stood to Buffy's left.

The past week, they'd barely spoken to one another and the only time Faith had been in the same room as her alone had been two nights ago when she'd wandered down to the cafeteria to make herself something to eat and Buffy had the same idea, already down there and snacking on a plate of freshly cut fruit.

"You seem to be settling in," Buffy said as she closed the folder and held it tight in both hands. "Enjoying the unlimited use of the training room?"

"Yeah, it's been great," Faith nodded. "Being on the road, don't get to spend some quality time training. Feel like I've been missing out."

"We have a private training room, if you don't want to be bothered by the girls," Buffy replied, not looking at her and opting to stare up at the numbers as the lit up with every floor the elevator climbed. "There," she said as she pointed to B3. "It'll ask you for a password."

"Let me guess, it's not "Hellmouth", is it?"

"No."

Faith laughed as she stared at Buffy. Was she nervous? Faith raised an eyebrow as she stared long and hard at her and watched as she flinched when she realized Faith was staring at her. She was totally and completely nervous, maybe even a little bit annoyed to top it all off. Faith chuckled softly and wiggled her eyebrows, forcing Buffy to turn her attention back to watching the numbers light up.

"So, B, what is it?" Faith asked. "What's the password or do I gotta figure it out on my own like the last time?"

"My mom," she whispered so quietly Faith barely heard her. "You, uh, you do remember her name, don't you?"

"Like I'd ever forget," Faith replied and she watched as Buffy tensed up and let out a scoff. "I didn't mean it like that. Your mom was cool. Didn't deserve to go being so young still. Sorry ya had to lose her the way you did."

"Thanks."

Faith cold feel the bristly, icy undertones in Buffy's voice and she moved to lean back against the wall again. Faith tried to see the label on the folder that Buffy was holding without raising any suspicion. She subtly and with much exaggeration, yawned just enough to lean forward and catch a glimpse at the label. Raising an eyebrow, she leaned back against the wall, wondering what the hell Buffy had a file on her for and what exactly was inside of it.

"Please enter the password," the computerized voice sounded out.

"You want the honors or shall I?" Faith asked as Buffy jerked her head to look over at her. "You know what the biggest fight of my life was, B? It was in the Hellmouth," she said and the elevator continued, accepting the password. "It wasn't cos it was this great big fight to save the world, it was cos I finally was fighting at your side like I was supposed to right from the beginning. Took me a long time to realize that being at your side was where I belonged," she finished quietly and the elevator came to a slow stop and the doors slid open. "You and me, B? We're good together. Just a shame it took us a long time to see that, huh?"

Faith winked as she backed out of the elevator, leaving Buffy standing there blinking, unmoving, speechless.

Faith let out the breath she didn't know she was holding until she was halfway down the hallway to her room. She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Buffy fumbling with her keys as she stood in front of her door at the opposite end of the long hallway. Faith rolled her eyes and pulled out her key from the small pocket inside her tight fitting sports bra. She barely had the key in the lock when she heard the footsteps hurrying towards her, practically thundering down the hallway, the sound echoing off the walls.

"Got something you wanna say to me, B?" Faith asked as she turned to her and quickly snatched the folder out of Buffy's hand. "What's this?"

"Your record," Buffy replied. "Your new one, at least."

"What?"

"Up until this morning, Faith, you were still wanted for murder and for escaping prison. If you're going to stay here and help us, we can't have the police becoming suspicious if you're on their radar, so we had to do something. We need you here," Buffy said and the words almost sounded strained, forced. "I need you here," she said quietly, her tone taking a completely different turn as she lowered her eyes to the floor. "I don't know what we're dealing with, but I know it's something big and something that I feel that I need you here to help me—us deal with."

Faith opened the folder and inside was a formal copy of a police record. Some of her priors were in there, nothing as major as murder and the fact she'd been convicted for twenty-five to life. She handed the file back to Buffy and opened the door to her room.

"You can thank Willow. And yes, it's completely legit. A little bit of magic, a little bit of good old fashioned hacking. Congratulations," Buffy said, her voice a little dry as she backed away. "You're officially free now, Faith. You're welcome."

_Then why doesn't it feel like I am free, huh?_ Faith thought, but she didn't dare say it out loud. She couldn't even bring herself to thank Buffy either.

Buffy scoffed as she turned on her heels and walked down the hallway, leaving Faith standing there wondering just what the hell just happened between them. With a shrug, Faith walked into her room and kicked the door shut behind her. She walked over to where she had her cell charging on the kitchen counter and picked it up.

"Four missed calls, great," she muttered as she hit the button to retrieve her messages from Dean and hoped to hell he was just calling to check in and not calling because something had happened.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Faith sipped her drink as she sat at the bar of some club that she'd been talked into going to with a bunch of the young slayers, at least the ones who were of age to be out on a Sunday night, dancing and drinking to their hearts content. She wanted to say no, but staying in for another night wasn't exactly her idea of fun.

The four messages that Dean left weren't because he was in trouble. He'd been checking in, at least the first two were, the last two were him babbling on about her not answering her phone and making him worried that they were under attack again. It took her an hour of calling before he finally answered his phone, the reception poor in the part of Wyoming he was driving through. Dean being in Wyoming only meant one thing and that meant he wouldn't be back in Cleveland with Sam for at least a week, if not a little longer. Late winter storms were ripping through the Rockies and it'd delay him going both ways for a day or two at a time. Unless he caught a lucky break and made it to California by early the next morning.

"Faith, come dance with us!" Sarah, one of the young slayers who had pleaded with her to join them on their night out said loudly over the driving club music as she grabbed Faith's hand and pulled her off the stool she'd been comfortably sitting on for the last hour they'd been there. "Don't you want to dance?"

"Sure, Sare, just not right now," Faith replied as she moved to sit back on the stool.

"Uh oh," Sarah said as she stood close to Faith, gripping on to her arm with slayer tight strength. "The General is here."

Faith turned to look at the entrance as Buffy walked in with the Scooby gang following close behind her. Faith laughed as she turned around to face the brightly neon lit bar, dislodging the young slayer from her arm as she did.

"Go and dance, Sarah. I doubt B is here to rip you guys a new one for coming out here tonight."

"What makes you think that?"

"Look at what she's wearing, for one," Faith replied, casually stealing a glance at Buffy as she and the Scooby gang made their way through the unexpectedly big crown towards a booth just off the dance floor. "If she was here to rip you guys a new one, do you think she would be wearing that little black dress?"

"Well no, but—"

"What, is the General not allowed to have fun too?" Faith asked as she stared at the young slayer who was already teetering on the edge of being drunk, not to mention scared shitless of Buffy's unexpected presence at the club. "Just go, Sarah. Let me deal with her, all right?"

Faith watched Sarah stumble off towards the table the rest of the junior slayers were sitting at. She turned her eyes back to the glass of whiskey on the rocks she had sitting on the bar in front of her and she picked up the glass slowly, staring at the melting ice for a moment before taking a few sips that burned in a deliciously good way on the way down.

"Hey," Faith yelled out to get the bartenders attention and the man tending for the night immediately looked over at her.

"What can I get for you?"

"Get me a few of those fruity girly drinks and a couple of beers and a Coke. It's for that table," Faith said as she pointed to the table that Buffy and the Scooby gang were sitting at. "Put it on my tab too, yeah?"

"Sure, no problem," he chuckled and quickly busied himself making the drinks she'd ordered.

Faith downed the rest of her drink, biting back the burn as she all but slammed the glass down on the bar. She could feel the energy inside the club of everyone around her and it was driving her senses wild. Her eyes were drawn over to Buffy as she sat with her friends, laughing and looking content as she sat between Xander and Dawn, listening as she laughed to a story that Xander was telling them.

"Here you go," the bartender said as he placed the drinks on a tray.

"Thanks," Faith smiled at him as she picked up the tray and headed over to Buffy's table. She smiled as she approached them and placed the tray down in the middle of the table. "Pick your poison, guys. This round is on me."

Xander, Andrew and Kennedy all reached for a glass of beer and Willow gingerly reached for one of the other drinks, one of the ones that had umbrellas in it. Buffy swatted at Dawn's hands as she tried to grab the other and grabbed the glass of Coke and plopped it down on the table in front of her before she grabbed her own drink.

"We didn't know you were coming tonight, Faith," Willow said as she scooted over on the bench seat to make room for her. "Sit with us?"

"The juniors invited me, made it impossible to say no," Faith chuckled as she reached for the last glass of beer on the tray.

Faith stared across the table at Buffy who was seated directly across from her. She grinned at her before raising a glass and the others raised theirs too, taking it as a toast. Shrugging, Faith clinked her glass with the others and took a healthy sip before placing her glass down in front of her.

Everyone was on edge, each for their own reasons, the main reason being Nereza and not knowing enough about who this Goddess was or what her intentions were. But Faith didn't want to think about that tonight, tonight wasn't about work, it was about letting loose and living it up a little while they still could. Xander, however, had other ideas, asking her about the life out on the road, the things she'd done, the vamps, demons and other things she had come across. He wanted to know everything and while she did her best to answer his questions, she could see Buffy fuming as she sat next to him.

By the time everyone was on their second round of drinks, the tension at the table had subsided and the conversation was directly focused on Faith anymore. Faith's attention wasn't on the flowing conversation at the table either, her attention was on Buffy as she watched her. She seemed to more relaxed, laughing and smiling, but not really involving herself in the conversation as Xander told a story of his failed attempt at fixing the plumbing and how he'd flooded the whole hotel. Faith was sure it was funny, but it was a "you had to have been there" story. As everyone finished off their drinks, Kennedy pulled Willow out onto the dance floor and Andrew followed them, the two beers he had already making him giddy.

"You wanna go dance, B?" Faith asked with a smile. Buffy shook her head no and she whipped her head to look at Xander when he gently nudged her. "Come on, it'll be like old times."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Buffy said quietly, but Faith heard her loud and clear over the loud music. "Xander, stop pushing me!"

"Just go dance, Buff!"

"Xander?" Dawn said as she got out of the booth and grabbed his hand. "Come dance a while?"

He laughed as she pulled him to his feet and practically dragged him out onto the crowded dance floor leaving Faith and Buffy alone at the table.

"What are you so afraid of?" Faith asked as she stared at Buffy. "It's just a dance."

"Oh fine," she groaned as she rolled her eyes and stood up. "Just one dance."

Faith grabbed Buffy's hand and didn't let her let go as they headed for the middle of the dance floor. Faith easily moved to the music and it'd been a while since she'd gone dancing, the last time was the first time she and Dean landed in bed together afterwards. She smiled at Buffy, trying to forget Dean and that disastrous night and she still hadn't let go of Buffy's hand.

Slowly, Buffy started to move to the beat, dancing beside Faith as she intertwined their fingers together. Faith was sure she would've ripped her hand out of hers the instant they were on the dance floor, but it was a nice surprise she hadn't. A couple dancing beside Buffy bumped into her and she was pushed closer to Faith. She stumbled back awkwardly, letting a mumbled apology flutter past her lips, but she kept moving, perfectly in time with the music and Faith.

Faith looked up at their entwined hands as Buffy rose them up, throwing her head back as she lost herself in the music. Faith let go of her hand and trailed her fingers down her arm slowly and she moved closer to Buffy as her fingers trailed down her back and settled on her hip. She gripped Buffy tight, keeping her right where she was as the music changed to something slower.

"Don't punk out now, B," she said huskily into her ear.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, stiffening as Faith's other hand came to rest on her hips. She looked around at the others on the dance floor, couples paired off and swaying to the music. "Faith? What are you doing?"

"Dancing, B, what does it look like?" Faith chuckled and she took a risk, pulling Buffy flush against her. "You could've wiped the floor with my ass by now if you wanted to, but you haven't tried."

"Don't tempt me."

Faith chuckled as Buffy wrapped her arms loosely over her shoulders and tried in vain to look everywhere but at Faith. The lights in the club dimmed, the only light coming from the streams of colored lights that swept around slowly, almost in time to the music. Faith inhaled sharply as she felt Buffy start to move a little more, loosen up as the song continued. Taking yet another chance, the alcohol she'd consumed since she'd been there making her feel bolder than usual, she slipped her hands down to cup Buffy's ass and she laughed as Buffy jolted back.

"If you want to keep them, you will remove your hands from my ass right now."

"Jeez, would you relax, B? Nobody can see," Faith whispered into her ear as she pulled her back against her, moving her hands back to her hips.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

Buffy raised an eyebrow at her before glancing down between them, or what little space there was between them.

Faith laughed. "Told you, we're just dancing, B. You remember what it was like with us, right?"

"I don't remember dancing like this."

"Wiped that night right out of your mind, did you?" Faith laughed dryly. "Guess it's easier to forget than to remember how good it felt."

The night in question that Faith had been referring to was the first night they'd gone out dancing, just a short time after she arrived in Sunnydale before everything went to shit. It was late and the Bronze was nearly empty, but they danced away the tension that had built up during a night of intense slaying. It was Buffy who had made the move, pulling Faith to her when the music changed. They danced close and swayed to the music, hands idly roaming. Faith had almost kissed her and she would've if three vampires hadn't decided to crash their moment. She could've sworn too, that that was what Buffy wanted, that it was what she was waiting for. But the moment came and went and they never talked about it. They went dancing after that, but never allowed themselves to be that close again.

"You're delusional."

"Am I?" Faith asked sharply. "You know what, I don't think I am, B."

"It was just a kiss," Buffy said quietly and even in the flowing lights, Faith could see her eyes brimming with tears. "It didn't mean anything."

The words shot through Faith like a hot knife in her gut. She tried not to let it show how much those words gutted her to hear them, even though she knew it was coming. It was Buffy after all and maybe she was a little bit delusional if she thought for one minute that maybe it was more than just a kiss, even if it never happened again.

Buffy had a way of getting under Faith's skin like no one else ever could. She had an idea that it was the same for Buffy and that's why things were so tense between them, even now.

"Yeah, it didn't mean anything," Faith said after a few long moments of just staring down into Buffy's eyes. "Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss."

"I—I don't think this is the right place to talk about this," Buffy stammered and she tried to step out of Faith's arms, but Faith wouldn't let her go. "Why are you making such a big deal out of it, Faith?"

"I'm not."

Buffy rolled her eyes and Faith felt her relax again. She sighed as she looked around at the others on the dance floor, nobody paying a speck of attention to them. She saw Willow and Kennedy sitting in the booth, heavily making out. Andrew and Dawn were dancing awkwardly together and Xander was sandwiched between two young slayers who had their hands all over him. She turned to look back at Buffy as she felt Buffy's fingers glide gently over the back of her neck.

"You think they're gonna change the music any time soon?" Faith laughed awkwardly as she found herself trapped in Buffy's heady gaze.

"Probably not for a few more songs at least."

"Right."

* * *

Willow's eyes went wide as she saw the two slayers on the dance floor, completely immersed in one another. She could feel the heat between them from where she was sitting and she had to push Kennedy's hands away from her body.

"Baby, what—"

"Look," Willow hissed as she nodded towards Buffy and Faith.

"Damn," Kennedy chuckled as she slid an arm around Willow's shoulders.

Willow couldn't take her eyes off of them. They were dancing close, so close she couldn't see a single thread of space between their bodies. Faith's hands were dangerously close to groping Buffy right out there in front of everyone and Buffy wasn't doing a thing to stop her.

"Do you think we should cut in?" Willow asked as she looked back at Kennedy.

"Why? They're big girls, Wil. If Buffy didn't want Faith being that close to her, she would've kicked her ass by now."

"I don't know I—what if Buffy is going to be mad that we didn't cut in?"

"What's going on? What is Buffy gonna be mad about?" Xander asked as he plopped down in the booth, out of breath from being manhandled by two young slayers. He seemed oblivious to the shock that registered on Willow's face as he grabbed his beer and took a few healthy sips to quench his thirst. "What are we looking at?"

"The steamy show out on the dance floor," Kennedy chuckled as she pointed out the two slayers "Which is just about bordering on soft porn with the way Buffy is grinding all up on Faith."

"Huh?" Xander blinked and turned his attention to the two slayers. "Oh merciful Zeus!"

Willow could feel her cheeks flush as she watched Faith's hands trail lower over Buffy's backside. The amount of heat and chemistry flowing between the two was intense and there was no denying there was definitely something more between them, maybe than what either of them even knew. Willow wanted to look away, she wanted to keep watching, she wanted to march over there and cut in, save Buffy from the clutches of Faith.

"Wow," Xander said dreamily as he allowed himself to look unabashedly at the two slayers. "That's really hot."

"You're telling me," Kennedy laughed. "Wil, honey, do you want me to get you another drink?"

Willow blindly held out her empty glass to Kennedy and moved just enough for Kennedy to slide out of the booth. She gripped the edge of the table as she swear she saw Buffy almost kiss Faith. This was getting to be too much and she just knew they had too much to drink and that was why they were acting like that. Yet, she also knew that two drinks wasn't nearly enough to create more than a buzz, especially with their slayer metabolism.

As the music changed, she kept her eyes trained on the slayers and it took them a moment to realize the beat was faster than what they were dancing to. They barely moved away from each other, their bodies keeping time with the music. Willow could feel her whole body heating up and she breathed a sigh of relief when Kennedy returned with a fresh drink.

"You ever wonder why they never got along?" Kennedy asked loudly and Xander shrugged, shaking his head no. "I think it's because of all that unresolved sexual tension between them."

"Looks like they're resolving some of it right now," Xander squeaked and the three of them watched as Buffy pulled Faith in for a steamy, passionate kiss. "This is wrong, guys, we shouldn't be watching them do this."

"They're in the middle of the dance floor where anyone can see them!" Kennedy pointed out. "It's not like they're off somewhere private and we walked in on them."

"Andrew, will you get me some water?" Dawn yelled out as she walked over to the booth and shoved Xander over so she could sit down. Willow's eyes went wide as she stole her attention away from the two slayers now heavily making out in the middle of the dance floor. "What's going on? Why are you looking like that, Wil?"

"Having fun?" Xander asked, smiling goofily as he tried to keep Dawn's attention on them. "You sure look like you're having fun."

"Andrew isn't that bad of a dancer, you know?" Dawn laughed. "A little grabby sometimes, but I threatened to steal his beloved toy collection and burn it in the incinerator if he didn't keep his grabby hands to himself."

Willow stole a quick glance back at the slayers and she nearly choked on her drink when she didn't see them anywhere on the dance floor.

"Willow, what's going on with you tonight? Why are you acting so weird?" Dawn asked loudly and she jumped up as Andrew came back with a cold bottle of water and a beer for himself. "Wil?"

"Nothing is going on," she said quietly.

"Where's Buffy?"

"Last I saw she was dancing with Faith," Xander said, chuckling throatily as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"What?" Dawn looked shocked and she turned to look out on the dance floor. "I don't see them anywhere. Are you sure they were dancing and not fighting?"

"Oh, they were fighting something all right," Kennedy grinned and Willow jabbed her hard in the stomach. "What the hell was that for, Wil?"

"Guys, seriously, what's with all the weirdness?" Dawn asked pointedly.

"Weirdness?" Willow asked, trying to brush it off. The last thing Buffy needed was for her own sister to find out what she was doing with Faith. "There's no weirdness. Nope. Just had a little bit too much too drink, that's all."

Dawn raised a skeptical eyebrow at her and turned her attention to watching the people out on the dance floor, no doubt trying to find Buffy in the mass of sweaty dancing couples.

* * *

Faith gasped against Buffy's lips as her hands slid over her ass and teased along the hem of her little black dress. She had seen Willow staring before and she had successfully maneuvered Buffy to the furthest part of the dance floor and had concealed themselves from the eyes of the Scooby gang by moving to stand behind a wide pillar, giving them a little bit of privacy from Buffy's friends and most of the people dancing around them. Buffy's lips were insistent against her own, devouring her lips and tongue as they were lost in one another.

The initial kiss had come out of nowhere. After they stopped talking, they just danced, their eyes locked together in a lingering gaze. Faith had been surprised when Buffy pulled her in for a kiss and she thought it would be over as quick as it had started, but she was proven wrong when Buffy's tongue slid past her lips and kissed her deeply as she ground her hips against Faith's in time to the beat of the music. That had done it for Faith and she fell into the reckless desire she felt pouring off of Buffy, losing herself completely and her resolve to keep this from happening long gone with that first kiss that Buffy had delivered deliciously.

"Oh god," Buffy moaned as she pulled back from Faith's lips slowly, both of them gasping for air. "Don't stop."

"Wasn't planning on it," Faith murmured as she pulled Buffy back in for another kiss. It was hard and needy and it left Faith's head swimming. She pushed Buffy back, her eyes searching, wondering when she was going to wake up from this dream. "B?"

"Hmm?"

Faith inhaled sharply as Buffy's hands roamed over her back and slipped under the edge of her shirt, her fingers lightly trailing over her skin. She had never anticipated the night turning out this way, not with the way it had started. She felt trapped now, trapped with the passion, the need, the desire she could feeling coming off Buffy in waves.

She couldn't fight it anymore, she didn't want to. With the way Buffy was making her feel and the alcohol still pumping through her body, the adrenaline and her arousal becoming stronger and harder to control. Buffy moved her hands back up to cup the back of Faith's head and she pulled her in for another kiss, one that started out soft and slow and quickly became brutal with passion that neither of them could hold back any longer.

_You're in love with her. You don't want to be, but you are, and it pulls you apart inside being around her._

Faith tried to ignore the voice in the back of her head that was repeating the words that Dean had spoken to her when he confronted her about her feelings for Buffy. She was definitely being pulled apart inside, but it was so very different than it had been in the past. It felt good and she felt like she was being pulled into Buffy instead of being pushed away. Maybe it was all happening because they were both lost in the heat of the moment, maybe it was the few drinks that made them both a little bolder, a little braver in pushing the boundaries when it came to one another.

Faith would deal with the consequences later. For now, all she wanted was to stay right there in the moment they had fallen into, the moment that had them trapped and consumed. She lowered her hands as she backed Buffy up against the pillar and Buffy moaned into her mouth as her fingers trailed under the hem of her skirt and over the smooth skin of her strong thighs. She was pushing at the boundaries, dangerously hovering on the line between what she could get away with inside of a busy, packed club and what was totally unacceptable to do in public.

Buffy bit her bottom lip gently as she moved her hand down to stop Faith's slow descent under her dress. She pulled back from Faith's lips, panting softly as she placed Faith's hand back on her hip.

"I think I need another drink," Buffy said just loud enough for Faith to hear her over the loud music. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, sure," Faith shrugged and she pulled Buffy back into her when she tried to walk away. "Not so fast, B."

Buffy frowned slightly but she slid her hands up Faith's arms and came to rest on her shoulders. "We need to talk, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do."

"Can we save it for later, like, as in when we're not here?" Buffy asked. "If we're going to talk, I'd rather we do it somewhere private."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Faith?" Buffy sighed softly and she moved a hand up to her cheek, her thumb stroking over her dimple as Faith smiled at her. "I—"

Faith kissed her hard before she could say another word. She was almost afraid of what Buffy would say next, the word "mistake" being what she feared most. If Buffy decided that this was all a mistake, Faith was going to damn well make sure that it was worth it. At least then she could have the memory of this night and as much of it as possible. If she couldn't have Buffy after tonight, she at least wanted the memory of her.

Buffy ended the kiss abruptly by pushing Faith back gently. Faith felt like her entire body was on fire, like there was an electric current running steadily through her veins. She'd felt the from the first second that Buffy had kissed her and she still felt it just standing inches away from her. It was addictive and she knew it was messing with her head, with all the thoughts rumbling through her mind, putting her in a dangerous spot that if she wasn't careful, she'd tumble over the edge into darkness again. When it came to Buffy, nothing was ever simple and it never would be, tonight proved that much to her.

"Come on, let's go have another drink," Buffy said as she reached for Faith's hand, easily intertwining their fingers as she pulled Faith towards the bar. "One drink and we'll find somewhere quiet to talk, okay?"

Faith nodded, her eyes trailing down Buffy's backside and watched her ass sway in the tight black dress as she walked quickly to the bar. Faith ran a shaky hand through her hair and she glanced over her shoulder at the Scooby gang, all of them watching the two of them like a hawk. She couldn't really read their expressions too well, but Xander and Kennedy seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too much and Willow, she was the hardest to read, harder than Dawn and Faith could swear from the look that Willow was giving her, throwing daggers with her cold eyes, that she was on the receiving end of an unspoken threat not to do anything with Buffy that both of them would later regret.

* * *

_Somewhere along the California border…_

Dean looked over at Sam as Sam flipped through the worn leather book. Ancient fairytales and myths, the same book he had found a reference to Nereza, the Goddess of Love.

"So, what the hell are you trying to say, Sam?" Dean asked again as he flicked his eyes to the road and back to Sam again. "That this Goddess really ain't evil?"

"Not exactly," Sam replied and he chuckled quietly. "She's a Goddess of Love, Dean. She feeds off the power of…" he trailed off to look back down at the book, shining his flashlight over the fading words. "True love. Huh. Look, are you sure you need to drag me back to Cleveland? I mean, this isn't as bad as we thought it was before when we thought she was evil."

"I'm dragging you back because I ain't gonna be the one who explains to all of them that the demon attack was just this Goddess' idea of bring _them_ together."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"And I don't wanna see her get hurt," Dean replied through gritted teeth. "Faith is in love with her, you know? I knew it without her even having to tell me. It's crazy, isn't it?"

"Not exactly," Sam smiled as he shut the book. "You're in love with her, yet she's in love with someone else, a woman, a slayer, someone who will never be you."

"Shut your cake-hole, Sam! I'm not in love with her!"

"Really?"

"Really," Dean glared at him and thumped his hands against the steering wheel before he pulled over to the side of the road. "What else does that stupid book of yours say about this Goddess anyway?"

"Every nine hundred years, she returns to this dimension and she seeks out the strongest true love she can find. This Goddess is smart and she can read people, really read deep down into their souls and if they are not already together, she will find a way to push the two souls together and she will feed off of the essence of their love for another nine hundred years."

"This is so frigging lame," Dean groaned loudly as he put the Impala into park. "Look, Sam, I saw the way Buffy acted around Faith," he shook his head as Sam watched him closely. "There's no way she—how can someone—no, there's no way that'll happen. Before I left, they hadn't even frigging spoke to each other! How is that true love?"

"I don't know, Dean, I don't know, but if you really want to help them, I'm there with you, man. As messed up as this all is."

"You're right, it's messed up. It's a _huge_ mess. Why exactly did I drag my ass into this in the first place?"

"Because you're in love with Faith."

"Damn it, Sammy, I am _not_ in love with her!"

"This isn't just about stopping Nereza, is it?" Sam asked and Dean let out a deflated sigh. "She is a Goddess, we couldn't stop her if we wanted to."

"No, but we can stop her from trying to kill them into figuring out they're meant to be together. Jesus, have I mentioned how frigging lame this is?"

"We've dealt with lamer things before," Sam shrugged. "And you said so already, from what you've seen, Buffy is just as stubborn as Faith is."

"You know, Sammy, I keep getting this feeling that it's more than what your stupid book says, that Nereza is after more than just feeding off the—what was it?"

"The essence of true love."

"She's after something else," Dean continued. "Something bigger than that true love essence bullshit your stupid book says."

"It's not stupid," Sam muttered and he tossed the book into the backseat. "Any idea what that something else could be?"

Dean thought about it as he stared out at the road. From what Sam had told him, Nereza needed to feed off essence, true love or something stronger and just as powerful, maybe even more so. The Goddess hadn't made a move until he and Faith were in Cleveland, more specifically when they had been at the hotel where their organization was run. What was it about Cleveland anyway? What exactly was there? Dean scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out the impossible.

_"…The scythe has been placed in a protected room."_

_"Lemme guess…Buffy's got it hanging on her bedroom wall, right?"_

_"As I said, it is in a protected room."_

_"Figured as much."_

Dean hadn't thought too much about the exchange between Giles and Faith the night they showed up in Cleveland, but thinking back to it now, it was bigger than he could've ever imagined. As he turned to Sam, he smiled. He knew what the Goddess was after.

And it definitely wasn't the essence of true love between two slayers, that was for sure. It was the scythe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Faith grunted as the vampire charged at her, flinging her backwards against the wall. She raised a foot and kicked the vampire away from her and she looked around the packed parking lot for Buffy.

"Damn it," Faith groaned as she kicked the vampire again, harder and sent him sprawling into a car, the alarm wailing loudly. "You know, I was in the middle of a frigging important conversation, asshole."

"Huh?"

"Don't "huh" me," Faith swung at the vampire, her fist clipping his jaw. "You types always have the worst timing, you know that, right?"

"Didn't look much like talking to me, Slayer."

Faith didn't have her stake or any other weapons with her and she cursed under her breath for ever leaving without them. First rule of slaying: don't die. Second rule of slaying: never leave the house without a stake. With no weapons, she'd have to make do with beating the vampire to a bloody pulp, or she could take off running and try to lose him out in the streets, but that was too risky, for her and for the rest of the innocent population. She looked around quickly again for Buffy, but she didn't see her. The last she'd seen was Buffy taking off at the vampire's counterpart, chasing him through the packed parking lot just outside the club.

Faith grabbed the vampire by his jacket and pounded her fist into his face, hard. He retaliated, stunning her with a hard uppercut that had her stumbling backwards. Now she was pissed. Rubbing over her throbbing jaw, she charged at the vampire, tackling him to the ground and pummeled her fists into his face. It was like tunnel vision when she got like this, didn't see or hear anything else other than the thing she was wailing on beneath her.

"Yo, Faith!" Kennedy yelled out, whistling to get her attention. "Move!"

Faith spun to look at Kennedy standing on the roof of a car, crossbow aimed and ready to fire. Faith took one last shot at the vampire before she jumped up, giving Kennedy the room to fire the arrow into the vampire's chest.

"Nice timing, Ken!" Faith said as she jogged over to where Kennedy was, reaching the car as she hopped down from the roof. "How'd you know we were out here fighting vamps?"

"I didn't," Kennedy replied and she opened the trunk of the car, tossing the crossbow in there. Faith caught sight of a few other weapons before Kennedy slammed down the hood. "We've got a situation happening back at S.O.H., and it's not of the good."

"S.O.H.?"

"Slayer Organization Headquarters," Kennedy rolled her eyes and she walked to the drivers' side and yanked open the door. "You coming, or what?"

"Buffy—"

"She's already on her way back, ran into her before I ran into you," Kennedy said quickly as she hopped in the car. "Come on, Faith, let's go!"

Faith groaned and climbed into the back seat of the car, nodding her head at Willow as she looked back at her. She was on the receiving end of another glare, similar to the one she'd seen earlier in the club when Willow was watching her and Buffy dancing. Faith ran a hand through her hair as Kennedy drove the few blocks to the old hotel, minding her speed and cursing under her breath when they were forced to stop at two red lights.

"What's the situation?" Faith asked as the old hotel came into view just ahead.

"Another demon attack," Willow replied. "Not as bad as the last one, but it's still bad. I knew we shouldn't have gone out anywhere tonight!"

"Any casualties?"

"I don't know!" Willow said as she glared back at her. "All I know is from what Giles told me when he called. Emergency. Under attack. Get back ASAP."

Faith groaned and she felt her cell buzzing in her jacket pocket. She quickly fished it out and answered it. "Dean, now is not a good time!"

_"I know what Nereza is after!"_

"What?"

_"The scythe,"_ Dean said quickly. _"She's after the scythe."_

"How do you know that?"

_"Call it a hunch, sweetheart."_

"Kennedy," Faith said as she hung up on Dean. "Step on it."

"Faith, what's going on?"

"Would you frigging just get us there already, Ken?" Faith yelled as she hit her fist against the door. "That Goddess bitch is after the scythe!"

The car suddenly filled with a bright blinding light that lasted a second and when it was gone, so was Willow. Faith leaned forward into the front seat, eyes wide.

"What the hell just happened? Where the hell did Willow go?"

"She does that sometimes," Kennedy said, not sounding fazed at all. "Teleporting. My guess?" Kennedy said as the car lurched to a stop in front of the hotel. "She's gone to get the scythe and take it somewhere safe."

Faith was out of the car in an instant, but she didn't charge inside the hotel even though the sounds of the fight made its way out to the street. Kennedy popped the trunk and Faith picked up the crossbow Kennedy had used back in the club parking lot and grabbed a bag of arrows.

"We don't know what we're facing here, Faith!"

"When doesn't this baby come in handy?" Faith chuckled as she quickly loaded the crossbow and slung the bag by its strap over her shoulder. "Come on, Kennedy. Let's go and fight."

"We don't—"

"Know what we're facing, I know, you said that already! Does it frigging matter?" Faith yelled at her, ignoring the few passerby's that looked over at the two of them briefly. "Stop being a frigging pussy and start being a slayer. You do remember what that means, don't you?"

Faith took off towards the front doors and charged inside and into the chaos that was unfolding inside. A dozen demons were fighting the young slayers and she spotted Buffy right in the middle, struggling against a quick moving Serparvo demon. Most of the demons that were fighting were Fyarl and Grappler demons.

Faith scanned the lobby, looking for an opening to get to a good vantage point. She could kill the Grappler and Fyarl demons with the crossbow, but the Serparvo demon was a whole other story. She'd only faced one once before and she had luck on her side he attacked near a shallow lake where she drowned it after a long fight that left her recovering for days. Not worrying about Buffy, she ran through the chaos, dodging Grappler demon fists and paralyzing mucus the Fyarl demons shot her way.

"Demons, why's it always gotta be demons in this city, huh?" Faith groaned as she hopped up onto a ledge just below the first balcony and positioned herself, raising the crossbow and taking aim.

From her vantage point and the chaos that was unfolding before her, it was hard for her to get in a clean shot to any of the demons below.

Her heart picked up its pace when she saw Buffy being thrown to the ground by the Serparvo demon she was fighting. Gripping the crossbow, she took aim, trying to keep her hands steady as she waited for an opening. Buffy scrambled to get to her feet, her little black dress practically shredded, barely keeping her dignity hidden from the rest of the world. She was angry, Faith could see that much from where she was, but she also missed the Grappler demon that charged at her from behind.

"Fuck," Faith spat as she aimed the crossbow at the Grappler and took the shot, not even looking to see if she took the target down before reloading.

Peering over the short ledge that kept her mostly hidden and protected, Faith spotted Buffy attacking the Serparvo demon, fists flying to no avail, the Grappler demon that had attacked her, dead on the ground with an arrow sticking out from its chest.

"Fall back!" Buffy yelled out as she was tossed a short broadsword by Kennedy. "Everyone fall back, now!"

Faith took aim again, taking out the Fyarl demon about to take out a helpless slayer he had pinned beneath its huge body. Reloading quickly, she took out another, and another, and another. She reached into the bag slung over her shoulder, retrieving the last arrow and she loaded it slowly, sweat trickling down her forehead as she tried to take deep and even breaths.

_Can't kill the Serparvo with an arrow. Too many Grappler's. That Fyarl fucker is looking to meet its end just about now, _Faith thought and she quickly made her decision, pulling the trigger and watching as the arrow pierced the middle of the Fyarl demon's forehead just as it was about to unload a lethal amount of its mucous on Kennedy.

"Faith!" Kennedy yelled out as Faith leapt from her perch and ran into the chaos, weaponless,

Skidding to a stop, she ducked and rolled out of the meaty hands of the Grappler demon trying to grab a hold of her and kicked out another before leaping to her feet. Her heart was racing, the adrenaline flowing through her like an old lover. Grinning, she grabbed the sword Kennedy handed to her and flicked her wrist as she turned to face the chaos behind her.

"Get them outta here," Faith yelled out to Kennedy as the young slayers tried to fall back, the demons slowly backing them into a corner with no escape. "Get them the hell outta here, Kennedy! Now!"

Faith ran through the lobby and slid beneath two Fyarl demons' legs and she swung her right leg out underneath the Serparvo demon, knocking it down hard on its back. Looking around quickly, she grabbed the demon by the back of its neck and dragged it over to the small fountain and shoved its head under the water. She didn't let go until the thrashing stopped and the demon lay lifeless in the small pool of water.

"Faith!" Buffy yelled out as she and Faith ran to each other. "We have to put an end to this now."

"You wanna take the right?"

Buffy nodded, holding her long curved knife tightly in her right hand. "Piece of cake, right? Six of them left, two of us."

"Just like old times, huh, B?"

Buffy shot her a short, clipped smile as they stood side by side, the remaining demons now turning their attention to the two of them. And boy, were they angrier than ever…

* * *

_Earlier…_

Faith tumbled out the side entrance of the club after Buffy, laughing as Buffy forcefully backed her up against the brick wall. The coldness of the night hit Faith like a cold splash of water, sobering her up as Buffy kept her pinned to the wall. Raising an eyebrow at her, Faith let her hands easily fall on Buffy's tiny waist and she pulled her closer to her.

The sounds of the music inside the club could be heard outside, just faintly, but Faith felt like they were a world away from the place they'd just left. She was lost within the longing gaze Buffy's eyes held her own in, lost in the feel of Buffy pressed up so tight against her she could hardly breathe without her breath coming out in sharp, sudden gasps.

Buffy's lips were hard in yearning as she kissed her, taking what she wanted and giving Faith everything she craved. Faith's hands lingered along the edges of Buffy's short black dress, smoothing across strong, smooth thighs, wanting to push further.

_It'd be easier to be with her like this if I wasn't in love with her._

Faith moaned loudly as Buffy's lips moved to her neck, Buffy's hands moving to grip her wrists and they slowly guided her hands under her dress. Faith gasped as Buffy's lips crushed against her own, their teeth clashing and tongues dancing.

Faith moved her hands along Buffy's smooth thighs, slowly, teasing as she fingered the edge of the panties she wore beneath the dress before moving her hands back down. Buffy bit on her lower lip, edging her on to no avail. She spun Buffy around and pushed her back up against the wall, eliciting a moan from her as she guided a hand up Buffy's inner thigh. She cupped her over her panties, teasing her, feeling just how wet she was through the thin cotton material.

_Fuck._

"Oh god," Buffy gasped as she tore her lips away from Faith's and rolled her hips against Faith's unmoving hand. "You can—you can touch me—"

Faith sighed as she leaned her forehead against Buffy's and slowly removed her hand from under her dress. She wanted to, she wanted to take her right there up against the wall, hard and fast. She had to stop herself before things got too far, before it got out of her control.

"We came out here to talk, B," Faith sighed and she gripped at Buffy's narrow hips as her eyes slid shut. "I think we oughta do just that."

"Yeah," Buffy nodded as she ran her fingers up the edges of Faith's leather jacket and smoothed down the lapels. "I'm not really sure what's going on."

"Yeah, me neither."

"I didn't exactly hate it."

Faith smiled. "Can't hate something that feels so good."

"So good," Buffy gasped as her hands gripped the back of Faith's neck gently, her fingers stroking insistently, saying all the words she wasn't. Couldn't.

Faith opened her eyes and fell deep into Buffy's heated gaze. She had everything she wanted when it came to Buffy right there in front of her, why wasn't she just taking what Buffy so obviously wanted to give to her? Faith bit her bottom lip, trying to quell the voices in her head that were pulling her every which way. Now she knew exactly what Dean had meant when he said that being around Buffy pulled her apart inside.

Buffy kissed her again, softer than the last, lips lingering as she waited for Faith to kiss her back, unaware of the torment Faith was dealing with inside, fighting the voices and the feelings, a platitude of emotions that were too overwhelming and new. As she pressed her lips harder against Buffy's, she felt it, that ever too familiar tingle deep in her gut. Vampires.

"You feel them too?" Buffy whispered, her lips brushing against Faith's as she struggled not to scream out for having some stupid vampire ruin this moment between them.

"Yeah," Faith nodded, stepping back as she inhaled sharply. "We'll—"

"Talk later," Buffy finished for her as Faith spun around and cracked the approaching vampire in the jaw.

* * *

Two Fyarl demons stood in front of the four Grappler's following close behind, growling and snarling as they cornered Faith and Buffy slowly. Buffy was shaking slightly, Faith could feel her as they stood side by side, their arms brushing lightly against one another. She cast a quick glance at Buffy and then down at the curved knife in her hand.

"You're gonna need a bigger weapon," she whispered, her eyes moving back to watch the demons moving closer to them. "Here."

Faith switched their weapons, giving Buffy the sword while she took the curved knife and gripped it tight. Buffy stared at her, looking at her like she was crazy and maybe she was, but she could fight better with a smaller weapon than she knew Buffy could. She'd had plenty of experience over the last handful of months fighting with a knife similar to the one she gripped in her hand.

Ready to fight, Faith eyed the demons in the front. It'd be a tough fight, she knew that much, and there wasn't any room for either of them to get out of the corner they were backed up against. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion, but she knew it wasn't. The demons were getting closer, about to strike and she knew they had to move and fast.

The whizzing of an arrow sliced through the air and stuck in the side of the Fyarl demon's head. Faith looked to the right and saw Dawn standing on the balcony, crossbow in hand, Xander at her side with a sniper rifle. Smiling, she nudged Buffy and nodded and they dove towards the demons, knocking two of them out of the way and giving them the opening they needed.

Buffy let out a yell as she swung the sword through the air, Faith flanking her left, she kicked the Grappler before she sliced her knife through the air and sunk it into the side of the demon's meaty neck. Groaning as she pulled it free, she kicked the demon to the ground and motioned for the other one to make its move. Winking at the demon, she whistled out and Xander took aim, shooting the demon in its head. Laughing, she looked over at Buffy as she sliced through the last demon's neck and shoved the headless body to the floor.

"Ugh, they ruined my dress!" Buffy groaned as she glanced down at her little black dress just barely hanging off her, shredded to pieces. "Come on, we gotta get out of here," she said as she grabbed Faith's hand and they ran towards the stairs to meet up with Dawn and Xander on the balcony. "Is everyone else safe?"

"Ready and waiting to move to a more secure location, Buff," Xander nodded. "We have the chopper waiting on the roof, ready for transport."

"Get the girls out of here first," Buffy said as the four of them moved quickly to the elevator. "Dawn, round up the teams who aren't injured and make your way to the garage. Evacuation Plan C is in effect immediately."

"Got it," Dawn nodded, getting into the other elevator with Xander while Buffy pulled Faith into the first one.

"B, what's going on?" Faith asked as the doors slid shut and Buffy hit the top button. "Are we bailing?"

"We have to. It's not safe here anymore."

"Where are we going?"

"We have a place outside the city," Buffy replied and she picked at the pieces of her dress. "I can't believe they made me ruin my dress!"

"Some night this turned out to be, huh?" Faith chuckled dryly as Buffy turned to her and quickly checked over her, looking to make sure she wasn't injured. She'd have a few bruises later, but it wasn't anything she was worried about. "Nereza is after the scythe."

"The scythe? _My_ scythe?" Buffy asked, her eyes flickering with rage as she gripped her sword tight. "Oh that bitch is _so_ dead."

"Willow zapped herself outta the car just before we got here," Faith said and she leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. "Kennedy said she probably went to get the scythe and get it somewhere safe."

"How did you even know—"

"Dean called when we were on our way here," Faith replied. "I don't know how he knows, but if it weren't for him—"

"Once we're safe, call him, find out everything that he knows and find out how fast he can get back here with his brother," Buffy said and Faith nodded, licking over her lips and watching as Buffy paced in front of her. "Hellmouth," Buffy said before the computerized voice asked for the password. "Get your stuff together quickly, Faith. We have less than five minutes before we need to board the chopper."

"You have a frigging helicopter?" Faith asked and Buffy smiled, winking at her as the elevator doors slid open. "Fuck, you guys really are doing good for yourselves here, huh?"

"It's always good to be prepared," Buffy chuckled. "Andrew!" She yelled out as Andrew stood by the stairwell that led up to the roof, calmly directing the injured young slayers up the stairs. "Who is packing up the weapons room?"

"Rona and her team, started when the attack began," Andrew replied and he held up his radio. "Red team, what is your status? Over."

_"Ready, loaded and awaiting the signal to go."_

"Andrew, go with them," Buffy said and she pushed at Faith. "Hurry up, Faith, we gotta move now!"

Faith sprinted down the hallway to her room, not even bothering with the key as she kicked the door, breaking the lock. It didn't take her long to grab everything she had, stuffing all of her clothes into her duffel bag as quickly as she could. She grabbed the few weapons she'd left lying out on the dresser and dropped them in the bag as she walked out.

The alarm sounded as she ran out into the hallway. Buffy was waiting by the stairwell, dressed in sweatpants, a t-shirt and a heavy winter jacket. She was holding a big luggage bag and she held a cell phone to her ear, listening intently to whoever was on the other end.

"She's here," Buffy said. "We'll be there in thirty seconds, Xander."

"Ready to motor?"

"How do you feel about flying, Faith?"

"Uh—don't have a choice, do I?" Faith asked as she sprinted up the stairs behind Buffy and out onto the roof. Faith's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the waiting helicopter. The dual rotor military transport helicopter was huge and she ran behind Buffy and they climbed on board quickly. "Jesus christ," Faith said under her breath as she strapped herself in. "When you said chopper, B, I didn't think you'd have one of these."

"It belonged to the old Council," she replied as she looked down at the row of injured slayers and spotted Giles near the front. "And Giles wanted to _sell_ it."

Faith chuckled nervously as her heart leapt into her throat. She really hated flying and the chopper was climbing fast. Closing her eyes, she gripped onto her duffel bag, clutching it to her chest tightly.

"Reports from the ground indicate a full-scale attack," Xander said as he moved to sit across from Buffy, cell phone in hand. "Dawn is safe, she got the girls out, Buff. Andrew as well as Rona and her team are safe and on their way. They'll be meeting us at the compound in about an hour."

"Full-scale attack?" Buffy looked worried. "There are a lot of innocent civilians in the area, Xander. We can't just—"

"You do remember what Evacuation Plan C involves, right?" Xander said and she nodded her head slowly. "Hotel is going to close up, toxic gas will be released in less than two minutes."

"Toxic gas?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just how toxic are we talking here?"

"Well," Xander said as he placed his cell in the front pocket of his jacket. "Let's just say we're not going back there for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"Two years?" He said as he looked over at Giles, who just nodded his head. "Don't worry, the hotel is completely sealed off and will pose no threat to any innocent civilians. Willow's glamor spell she has prepared will be in effect almost immediately after the gas is released. To everyone else, all they will see is a run-down hotel, closed for business indefinitely."

Faith leaned back, blown away by what had just happened in the last twenty minutes. She really had no idea just how big the Slayer Organization truly was and she had a feeling she'd be learning quite a lot more soon enough. It was truly a far cry from their days in Sunnydale, that was for sure.

They were in the air for about ten minutes before Faith felt the chopper descending slowly. She let go of her duffel bag and breathed out a sigh of relief as she felt the chopper touch down on solid ground. Following Buffy, she hopped out of the chopper and they headed quickly towards a large house just up a steep hill.

"It's going to be tight," Xander said from behind them as Buffy hit a code by the door and pushed it open. "I can make some phone calls, arrange for a delivery of trailers that we can house most of the girls in. They should fit along the driveway to the training studio, we can hook them up with power and water over there."

"Good, get on that, Xander and let me know what's happening."

"What is this place?" Faith asked as she looked around the impressive foyer.

"It used to belong to the Council, used as a retreat I think Giles said. They have places like this all over the world," Buffy replied as she hit a few switches on the wall, lighting up the foyer and the hallway. "We stayed here for a month while we had work done at the hotel to make it livable. The property is protected by barriers, magic. Nothing is getting in here without us knowing."

"How come you didn't have barriers at the hotel?"

"It's too dangerous," Buffy replied. "When I said nothing is getting in here, Faith, that means humans too."

"Right. So how did we get in here without being bounced right back? Or whatever happens when something comes through the barrier that shouldn't."

"Charms," Buffy replied and she lead the way down the hallway into the big kitchen at the back of the house. "That symbol on the side of the chopper? That's what got us through the barrier. All vehicles have them and…" Buffy trailed off as she started pulling open drawers and went through one before she pulled out a ring. "Here, wear this. We all have one," she said as she showed Faith an identical ring she wore on her pinky, something that Faith just noticed wasn't just any normal ring. It bore the same symbol she barely noticed on the helicopter and painted on the inside of the roof of Kennedy's car. "Do you want something to drink? All we have is water, for now."

"I'm fine, B."

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked as she pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and twisted the cap off. "This is a lot to take in, I know."

"A lot doesn't even begin to cover it," Faith said softly and she leaned up against the counter and dropped her bag to the floor by her feet. "I think you got some things you need to explain here, B."

"I know and I will, just as soon as I know everyone is here, safe and accounted for."

Faith looked around the kitchen and aside from a little bit of dust lingering everywhere, it was nice, a lot nicer than she had expected, but then again the house they were in was absolutely huge. Faith was still trying to get her stomach to drop after that ride in the chopper and her mind was racing with a million different questions, none of which she could put words to just yet.

"Buffy, we have three girls who need to be taken to the hospital," Xander said as he rushed into the kitchen with two girls behind them. "Towels are over there, kettle is in the cabinet by the stove," he said to them as they moved quickly to gather the supplies. "We're going to keep them as stable as possible. When Dawn arrives, I'll take the van and take them to the nearest hospital."

"How bad is it?"

"Amber's leg is broken, shattered by the looks of it and she's going to need surgery to save her leg, slayer or not," Xander replied and he shook his head. "Tessa and Kayla have severe stab wounds in the stomach and they are showing signs of internal bleeding."

"Life-threatening?"

"They've lost a lot of blood, but are still conscious."

"Cover story?"

"Attacked by gang members," Xander replied and left quickly when the two slayers had gathered their supplies.

Faith blinked and let out a breath she'd been holding since Buffy and Xander started talking about the injured girls. Buffy sighed heavily and drank a few sips of her water before she ran a shaky hand through her tangled hair.

"I need to find Willow," Buffy said quietly. "She'll have already figured out we evacuated. I need to—"

"B?" Faith said as she walked up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Stupid question, but are you okay?"

"It's been a really long night," she whispered. "And we never got the chance to talk. We still have to, just…not right now."

Buffy left her alone in the kitchen, running off as one of the girls yelled out her name from another room. Faith picked up her duffel bag and headed in the same direction Buffy ran off in. A living room was turned into a temporary infirmary, dozens of girls hurt and bleeding while the ones that were uninjured were tending to them, dressing wounds, stitching up some of the deep cuts calmly, as if they did this sort of thing all the time. Faith stayed to the side, watching as everyone moved around the room, taking care of each other, looking out for one another.

Buffy, on the other hand, was at the side of the girl whose right leg was shattered, broken in several different places. She was ripping up a sheet into strips while two girls broke a wooden chair, using the legs as splints to make the transport to the nearest hospital a little more bearable for the young slayer who couldn't have been more than fourteen years old.

"Faith, can you give us a hand?" Buffy called out as she finished ripping up the sheets. Faith was at the table that the girl was laid out on in an instant. "Find something for her to bite down on," she said quickly and she looked down at the girl who looked like she was on the verge of passing out. "Quickly, Faith."

Faith's eyes scanned the room and she grabbed a soft leather-bound notebook, small and not too thick from the table near the end of the nearest couch. She handed it to the girl who took it and put it between her teeth, nodding at Faith as tears brimmed in her eyes and she inhaled sharply as Buffy lifted her leg and the two girls working with her quickly put the strips of the sheet under her leg.

"Amber, I'm sorry," Buffy said sympathetically as the girls held the table legs on each side of her shattered leg. "I know it hurts, just try not to scream."

Amber nearly passed out, biting down hard on the notebook as Buffy quickly tied the strips tightly to her leg. "Oh god," she gasped after she spit the notebook out and raised a hand to wipe her tears. "Am I going to—I'm not going to lose my leg, am I?"

"No," Buffy said, shaking her head quickly as she used what was left of the sheet to wipe Amber's blood from her hands. "Xander will get you to the hospital."

"Thank you, Ms. Summers."

"Faith, can you keep an eye on the girls? I still need to find Willow, I—"

"Go do what you have to do, B, I'll keep an eye on them 'til Xander gets back."

"Thank you," Buffy said, smiling a little as she headed for the hallway. "Oh and Faith? Call Dean, tell him what's happened and where to find us."

"Uh, B?" Faith said, her voice cracking as Buffy disappeared out in the hallway. "I don't even know _where_ we are," she laughed to herself as she turned to look down at Amber who was laying on the table, breathing hard and her eyes were closed. The pain was evident in the strained muscles in her face, but the strength she'd shown moments before showed she was stronger than she looked. "Hey, Amber, right?" Faith asked and she waited until Amber opened her eyes.

"It's bad, isn't it? I can't—I can't even feel the pain anymore."

"It's bad, yeah, but lucky the bastard didn't take your leg clean off, right?" Faith asked, laughing nervously as Amber let out a strained laugh of her own. "You can't feel pain anymore cos it was probably too much for your body to handle."

"So, I am in shock?"

"Can you feel this?" Faith asked quietly as she gently took Amber's hand in her own and gave it a little squeeze. Amber rolled her eyes and squeezed back. "Good, means you can still feel everything else. And yeah, you're probably in shock, but what do I know, I ain't no doctor."

Faith nodded as she let go of the young slayer's hand and stepped back, turning her attention to the others in the room. It had been one hell of a long day and an every longer night, one she knew wasn't going to end as soon as she'd like. She still had to call Dean, but where would she tell him to come to if she didn't even have the first clue about where they were.

"It hurts!" One of the red-headed girls screamed as two others held her down, another trying to stitch up the long, deep gash in her arm. "God, stop it, Molly!"

"We need to find something to help numb the pain," the girl stitching her up said and four sets of eyes all turned to Faith. "Do you know something that'll help?"

"Maybe," Faith shrugged and she scanned the bookshelves along the wall. If the other Watcher's that had been there over the years and they were anything like Giles, there'd be a bottle or two of good Scotch hidden behind the books. Finding just what she was looking for, she pulled off the cap and took a whiff. "It's strong stuff, but one shot'll have you feeling good and numb."

"Kelly is fifteen years old!"

"One shot ain't gonna kill her," Faith said as she handed the crystal bottle to the red-headed girl and she took a few swigs, definitely more than a shot.

"Buffy will kill you for letting her drink that!"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Faith muttered as she preyed the bottle away and took a few sips herself. "Definitely won't be the last either."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_March 19th - Indianapolis, IN_

Dean stood by the side of the Impala, watching as the numbers climbed on the gas pump. They were about five hours from Cleveland and night was coming fast. The last phone call he'd received from Faith had been that morning along with an email that Sam pulled up on his laptop when they stopped for breakfast, a symbol of a charm they were supposed to put on his car—his baby—just so they'd be able to cross the mystical barrier that surrounded the property they were staying on.

"Did she say if we have to make the charm permanent?" Sam asked as he leaned against the passenger door, noisily eating a bag of chips. "She wasn't too clear on those details, was she?"

"We're not painting a frigging _charm_ on my baby, Sammy."

"Tape?"

Dean grunted as he pulled the nozzle out and screwed the gas cap back on angrily. He shook his head at Sam as he walked into the gas bar to pay the clerk. As the clerk, a teenage boy, slowly rang him up, fiddling with the credit card machine as he tried to get it to work, Dean scanned the shelves behind him.

"Is that washable?" Dean asked as he pointed to a package of markers that clearly said "washable" on them. "Those markers, dude, are they washable?"

"Uh, it says so right there on the package," the boy replied, scoffing as he tried to run Dean's credit card again. "You want them?"

"Will they wash outta leather?"

"I don't know, man," he rolled his eyes and chomped on his gum noisily. "You want them or not before I try to ring you up again?"

"You got any tape?"

"What kind of tape?"

"I don't know, tape, what difference does it make?" Dean asked, growing more annoyed by the second as he scanned the shelf behind the clerk that was filled with all sorts of things, from cigarettes to booze, to crayons and markers to paper and…tape. "Give me a roll of that green stuff."

"Painter's tape?" The boy shrugged as he plucked it off the shelf and rung him up, starting the whole inane process over again. "You don't have any cash, do you, man? This machine is pretty ancient and it's not working."

Dean rolled his eyes and opened his wallet and pulled out a few twenties and nearly threw them at the annoying kid as he grabbed the roll of tape and left without bothering to get the few dollars back in change.

"Let's go, Sammy," Dean said as he walked quickly around to the driver's side and hopping in. "Think this'll work?" Dean asked as he tossed the tape to Sam.

"You do realize how complicated this will be, don't you?" Sam asked him as he pulled out of the gas station and out onto the road. "This charm, it's not simple. Using tape for the job? I don't know if—"

"Will it work or not?"

"I can try," Sam nodded as he pushed his hair out of his face and pulled out the piece of paper he'd copied the charm on to earlier. "You know," Sam said as he glanced over at Dean. "Something doesn't feel right about any of this."

"What do you mean?"

"A year ago things were different, weren't they? From the stories you've told me, none of us, not even Dad encountered these types of vampires and demons you've been killing ever since Faith came into the picture."

"What are you saying, Sammy?"

"It's like she's from an entirely different world than ours, you know?" Sam said and Dean nodded but stopped as he turned to stare at him, completely lost. "Dean, how many vampires have you faced before you met Faith?"

"None, but Dad—"

"And how many since you've met her?"

"Lost count few months back."

"Exactly."

"Exactly what?" Dean almost yelled at him. "Just spit it out, Sam. What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"Slayers were nothing more than a myth, a bedtime story for demons thousands of years ago," Sam said and he took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. "Vampires don't turn to dust, not in our world and demons? They possess humans, not take on their own form. At least not always and not so it's plainly obviously they are demons. Come on, Dean, you can't tell me you haven't thought about any of this before now."

"You're not telling me what you want to say right now, so just spit it out already, would you?"

"Last May, I knew something changed. It felt like a…ripple. Subtle changes, things most people wouldn't notice, but we are not most people, Dean. I thought you would've seen it by now."

"Seen what?"

"The story you told me about Faith and the other slayers fighting the thing called the First Evil inside a Hellmouth and how it collapsed and took the entire town with it, that was what changed the entire world. It collided."

"What frigging collided?" Dean asked as he pulled the Impala over to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks.

"Faith and her people? They _are_ from an entirely different world, similar to ours, but not quite. Something happened down in that Hellmouth inside their world, Dean. It made it collide with ours. While you think I don't care, that I've cut myself off just because I decided to do something else with my life, it doesn't mean I haven't noticed things changing all around me, all the time."

Dean sighed heavily and gripped the steering wheel. A part of him knew that Sam was right. Nothing about the world and the things he'd seen and fought since Faith came into his life were what he was used to, what he expected and had come to know as the harsh reality of what the world really was like. Faith had seen things he was used to, things he barely thought twice about that had shocked her—even if she never said it, he'd seen it in her eyes. He turned to look at Sam and nodded slowly, knowing in that moment that whatever Sam was on to, he was right.

"Did you wonder why they didn't know about Nereza?" Sam asked and he pulled the book that had all the information they'd ever need on the Goddess inside. "Did you ever wonder why they had _nothing_ on her, not even a single little footnote on this Goddess? Because this Goddess, she isn't from our world or from theirs either. Whatever they did down in that Hellmouth, it caused more than two worlds to collide."

"Been busy studying things other than schoolwork, Sam?"

"Little bit."

"So, what do we do now?" Dean asked him, still clutching at the steering wheel.

"We go to Ohio, like planned and we help them. That's what we do, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but what do we do about our worlds colliding? Isn't there going to be some catastrophic consequences from that?"

"According to this, which I thought was just another fairytale book that I kept because it was so old, if Nereza gets her hands on the scythe, it's light out."

"World ending?"

"World ending."

"Damn."

"That about sums it up."

"You talk to Bobby about this?" Dean asked as he pulled the Impala back out onto the road. "What'd he say?"

"You mean after he gave me hell for leaving to go to Stanford the way I did? A lot," Sam replied. "He had an inkling things were changing, that they have been changing. He's been tracking things like I have, but a little more extensively. He even convinced himself he was drinking too much and hallucinating the whole damn thing. He gave me a specific date when this all started, when it happened."

"Let me guess, May 20th of last year?"

"How did you—" Sam stopped, laughing. "Of course. Faith told you."

"What else did Bobby tell you, Sam?"

"That we're in over our heads and called us idiots for even thinking about getting involved with something as huge as this."

"We are idiots, aren't we?"

"Not if we want to save the world as we know it."

"You think we can pull this off?"

"No idea," Sam shrugged. "Won't hurt to try, though."

"Might kill us."

"Maybe."

"Be a hell of a way to go out."

"Sure."

"Good to have you back, Sammy," Dean smiled as he reached out and patted him roughly on the shoulder. "Good to have you back."

"I'm not—"

"Yeah, whatever," Dean said and shook his head as he pressed the petal to the metal and cranked the music. "Better get to work on that charm, Sam. We'll be in Ohio in about five hours."

* * *

Faith watched the young slayers as they went through their training exercises out on the sprawling front lawn of the compound. It was cold, sure, but that didn't stop them from moving from the training barn to the front lawn, giving them more space to train than they really needed. Faith was perched on the last step that lead up to the front doors, smoking her fourth cigarette in less than an hour.

The past handful of days had been nothing short of chaotic. Too much was happening all at once and it was almost too much to take in, but she kept herself calm, watched as it all unfolded around her and kept most of her questions to herself, trusting that Buffy or at least Giles, maybe even Andrew would finally explain things to her.

Nobody had. Not yet at least.

It wasn't new when it came to be being left in the dark when it came to Buffy and the Scooby gang, but it did sting a little, jarred her too. It made her re-think her decision to come to Cleveland, it made her re-think a lot of things, especially with what happened with Buffy in the club a few nights back, before all hell went loose, literally.

"Can I bum one?"

"You smoke, Ken?" Faith asked as Kennedy sat down next to her and pulled her jacket tight around her. Shrugging, she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and slid it open. "Didn't think you did."

"Haven't in a long time," Kennedy replied, sighing heavily before she placed the cigarette between her lips and lit it as Faith held out her lighter to her, the flame dancing wildly in the breeze. "Things are really stressful and with Willow still gone, I just—it's a bit too much."

"Still haven't heard from her?"

"No."

"Worried?"

"Yeah," Kennedy nodded slowly, her eyes trained on the girls sparring on the front lawn. "But I know she's okay." Kennedy pulled out the necklace she always wore from under her shirt. It was a tiny gem, the lightest blue it almost looked white. "It's a charm, it tells me if she's still alive or not, you know, just in case something like this ever happened. Wil thought it'd give me a peace of mind."

"You got any idea where she could be?"

"Not at all," Kennedy frowned. "But wherever she is, she's keeping the scythe safe."

"It's been almost a week," Faith said quietly. She didn't want to think it, but it was true. It'd been almost a week since they'd been at the compound and Faith and been trying so hard not to think about it. "Hey, for what it's worth, I'm sure she'll come back soon, you know? Bet it's hard for her being apart from someone she loves and all."

"She doesn't love me," Kennedy said dejectedly. "I mean, she does, I know she does, but she'll never love me like she loved Tara."

"Maybe she will one day."

Kennedy laughed dryly as she stared at Faith. "What's with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're different."

"People change. It happens."

"I know, but you seem…like you finally got it figured out for yourself."

"Far from it," Faith chuckled and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she took one last drag before flicking the cigarette into the pile of melting snow at the side of the stairs.

Kennedy was different than the rest of them. Faith had seen it back in Sunnydale and she saw it now. She was a part of the Scooby gang because she was with Willow, but she wasn't really a part of them when it came down to it all. It killed her inside a little, Faith could see it and she could sympathize too. Maybe in a different life, in different circumstances, they would be friends, Faith was sure of it, but there were other things keeping that from happening, most of which she knew was al on her and her issue with trusting people. At least with Dean, it was easy. She knew his intentions but it was all played off and they'd learned to live with each other over a short period of time. Everyone that was connected to Buffy was different. It'd always be different and complicated.

As the young slayers gathered up the weapons they'd been using to train and headed around the house to the training barn out back, Faith turned and looked up at the sky. Now wasn't the time for deep thoughts or for searching for answers to questions she wasn't sure how to ask.

"Do you know where Giles is?" Faith asked as she turned to look at Kennedy.

"Probably in the library trying and failing to find something on Nereza."

"He can't find that book Sam mentioned?"

"No, not even a reference to it."

Faith stood up and stretched out before she walked inside and headed for the small library. It was small, but there were hundreds of thousands of books lining the stacks of bookshelves. It felt very claustrophobic and she tried to shake that feeling off as she found Giles sitting at a desk, several books open in front of him, his attention focused on a newspaper instead.

Faith pulled up a chair in front of the desk and propped her boots up on the edge, earning her a glare from Giles as he stared at her over the top of the newspaper. He sighed as she plopped her feet back on the floor and put the newspaper down, taking his time as he folded it carefully.

"What can I do for you, Faith?"

"There's things I need to know."

"I'm afraid I don't quite have any further information on this Goddess—"

"No, Giles, not about the Goddess," Faith sighed heavily. "I'm talking about this," she said as she opened her arms and Giles looked at her quizzically. "I'm talking about this Slayer Organization you people are running here. I've been in Cleveland for two weeks and the most I know is that you're the head of the frigging Council and there is money, a lot of money and this place, well everything is run like the frigging military!"

"Ah," Giles nodded slowly and he removed his glasses. "I wasn't aware you haven't been briefed as of yet I would have thought one of the others would have explained things to you."

_Yeah, I thought so too_, Faith thought bitterly. "Guess there's been so much going on, you people forgot I don't have a single clue on how things work around here."

"Faith," Giles said calmly. "There has been a lot going on, but that is no excuse. I do apologize. I should have been more forthcoming about the organization we're running, you are a part of it, being a slayer and all. Where shall I begin? Any specific questions you would like to ask?"

"Why don't you just start at the beginning," Faith replied and she shrugged off her jacket and let it hang over the back of the chair.

"A few days after you, ahem, left us, I flew to England to sort out a few matters there. It was there I ran into a few old colleagues and together, we uncovered all the Council's assets and agreed that we would need to continue on, but in a slightly different direction. With the assets now easily attainable, I relocated the others to Cleveland and we settled down here in this compound for a time," Giles said and he took a big breath before reaching for his cup of tea. "With many young slayers, we realized that we needed to have structure, rules of sort. Between myself, Buffy and the others, we came up with a way for everything to work as we needed it to."

Giles reached into the desk and pulled out a small notepad that looked worn and was filled to the brim with notes. He handed it to Faith with a short smile.

"That is the first draft," he said as she flipped it open. "Ideas, plans, protocols and procedures we would follow. The organization itself, evolved quickly, adapting to different scenarios we encountered along the way. Andrew, along with some of the more technical minded slayers, brought in a whole new level of surveillance and ways to implement todays technology to aid us. As you saw in the hotel, the technology was nothing but the best of the best and Andrew is always finding new and different things that would help our organization in the short and long term. This is the first time such an organization has existed and it is run much differently than the old Council. We have contacts spread throughout the world as well and they grow daily. Several coven's work with us, alerting us of young slayers we have yet to find and of other matters as well."

Faith listened carefully to what he was telling her and he was wording it in a way that was simple, straight to the point, but he still wasn't telling her absolutely everything. Yet, it was enough to understand more about the way things were.

"As I may be a key figure in the Council, Buffy runs this organization. Every decision made has gone through her. I guide her, as you may say, helping her to make the harder decisions as we go along. It is Buffy who decides where the young slayers are relocated to when she feels they are ready. Some that have come here, they were already involved with their own Watcher's long before Willow cast that spell, but there are some who have had no formal training and that is what they come here for. To learn how to live with their calling, to learn how to use their strengths and their weaknesses against the forces of evil."

"Now, things are changing, aren't they?" Faith asked and he nodded slowly. "The hotel is out and on my count, nobody has gone out to patrol since we've been here. Are you sure that's a good idea, Giles? I mean, Cleveland has one of the strongest Hellmouth's in the world, that's why you're here."

"We are taking measures as to protect us as a whole. While no, it isn't wise that there aren't any nightly patrols, I have a contact in the city who keeps me filled in. I received word this morning that the number of attacks have suddenly gone from alarming numbers to just an incident here and there. We are not sure as to why this is happening, but I believe that the Goddess is behind this."

Faith flipped through the notebook he'd given her. From what caught her eye, it explained more than what he had just told her. She'd seen the young slayers following a routine even there at the compound and hadn't thought much of it, but it made sense they stuck with what they knew.

"We have been busy the past couple of days, trying to re-establish what we had at the hotel," Giles said. "I must ask you, are you here to stay, Faith?"

"Well, we got a pretty big sitch to deal with, so I'm here until it's over."

"But you haven't thought of staying on indefinitely?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Kind of a big decision to make right now."

"There is a place here for you," he said with a small smile. "I only ask because we will need to assign duties."

"Duties?"

"Everyone has a specific role here, Faith. It is part of the overall structure."

"What, like I train the girls or something? Isn't that what Buffy does?"

"Kennedy and a few others as well. Your experience would make you ideal to teach these young women in a way that Buffy and the others cannot."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if I—"

"You would be put on the payroll and an incentive pay will be given if you decide to take the role as a teacher here with us."

"Whoa, hold up," Faith laughed. "I'd be getting paid? Why didn't you just say that to begin with?"

"So, you have made a decision?"

Sighing heavily, she shook her head no. "No, Giles, I haven't made a decision."

"Will you be willing to try this temporarily? Situate yourself as a part of the organization until the situation with the Goddess is resolved? Until then, you will not need to provide a decision on how long you will stay here with us."

"I can do that," she nodded. "But you know me, can't sit still very long. Ten months on the road and I kind of got used to that kind of life, you know?"

"Perhaps, there could be another role for you," Giles replied. "A role here with us that allows you to travel from time to time. I will discuss this with Buffy and see what she believes would be best, but do remember, Faith, you have a say in what you do, what your role here is. Do not hesitate to speak up and to include yourself in our daily and weekly meetings."

"I'll think about it," Faith replied and she rose to her feet, holding the notebook in her right hand. "Thanks, you know, for explaining things."

"Anything else you'd like to know will be in that notebook. I could, perhaps, look for the official handbook if you would rather to read that?"

"This'll do, Giles, thanks."

"Faith?" Giles said as she headed for the door. "Have you heard from Dean?"

"Nah, not today. He was gonna cover as much road as he could today. Said yesterday he was hoping they'd be here by tonight."

"Ah, alright, well, when you do hear from him, would you let me know?"

"Sure thing."

Faith left Giles alone in the library and made her way up to the small bedroom she was staying in, which thankfully she didn't have to share like most others did. The only one who had their own room besides her was Buffy, but being the head of the Slayer Organization automatically gave her the right to have a room of her own in a situation like the one they were nose deep in.

Faith tossed the notebook on the small single bed and kicked off her boots. She'd kept the room relatively clean, most of her stuff still in her duffel bag. It'd become a habit not to unpack and while she'd done that back at the hotel, she didn't want to have to rush to pack up all her stuff if they had to evacuate the compound in a moment's notice. In her rush to grab her stuff, she'd left behind her favorite Black Sabbath t-shirt she'd had for years, one that she'd gone back to the apartment the Mayor had given her when she first arrived back in Sunnydale to get. It came with her from Boston, just one of the few things she'd held on to. And now it was gone, locked down in the hotel, likely a goner after being suffocated and doused in toxic gas.

"Hey," Kennedy said as she knocked on the partially open door. "You left your cell outside," she said and she tossed Faith her Blackberry.

"Thanks, Ken."

"I would've brought it to you before, but you and Giles were talking and I didn't want to interrupt," she said, lingering in the doorway as Faith quickly checked her phone to make sure she hadn't missed a call from Dean. "You know, you could've asked me instead of going to Giles."

"Doesn't matter now," Faith replied and she pocketed her phone. "Figured it was better to hear it from him. You know how much he likes to talk and use all those big words and British slang," she laughed and shook her head as she played with the ring on her pinky finger. "Man, I dunno about you, but I'm getting antsy from this whole no slaying gig. We're slayers. We need things to slay."

"Do you want to go out to the training barn?" Kennedy asked, sounding a little hopeful as her eyes brightened. "I feel like we can both stand to burn off this extra energy, with you being frustrated and me worried about Willow…"

"Maybe later, Ken."

"What's with you?"

"Nothing."

"No really, Faith, what is with you? I thought you'd jump at the chance to kick my ass all over the training barn," she smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave Faith a knowing look. "I know what it is. It's because I'm not a cute little blonde named Buffy."

"Are you seriously trying to piss me off?"

"Is it working?"

"Yeah, it is," Faith glared at her, but she didn't move from where she stood by the bed.

"You know we all saw you and Buffy getting all up close and personal in the club last week," Kennedy said quietly. "From what I saw, things were heating up pretty quick between you and two and now…nothing."

Faith shrugged and she grabbed the bottle of whiskey out of the dresser drawer that she'd found in the liquor cabinet in Giles' new office. "Want a drink, Ken?"

"It's still early," she said hesitantly.

"Suit yourself," Faith said as she unscrewed the cap and took a swig, exhaling sharply as the warm liquor burned its way down her throat. "And the thing between me and B? It was just a heat of the moment thing. Got caught up dancing and shit happens, you know?"

"Just like you two just happened to end up locking lips during that attack the first night you showed up at the hotel?"

"How the hell do you know about that?"

"One of the many perks of being Willow's girlfriend means I get to hear her vent about a lot of things, including telling me about some of the things that Buffy has said about you."

Faith took another swig before handing the bottle to Kennedy who, despite being hesitant about drinking so early in the evening, took a small sip and handed it back to Faith.

"You aren't gonna ask me what Buffy's been saying?"

"Don't care what she's been saying, Ken."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want," Faith said harshly and she motioned for Kennedy to step out in the hallway. "Now if ya don't mind, I got some reading and some drinking to do."

Faith shut the door and rolled her eyes as she took another swig and sat down on the bed and picked up the notebook. Her mind wasn't focused on the book in her hands though, but rather on what Kennedy had said. She might've played it off like she didn't care to know what Buffy had been saying about her or why she would even tell Willow about the fact they had kissed, but it was bugging her inside a little.

Trying to shrug it off like she had with Kennedy, she took one last swig and forced her mind to focus on the words scrawled in neat cursive writing on the pages. It wasn't working and she closed the book, grunting in frustration as she moved to lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. And just for a moment, she allowed herself to think back to that night at the club and she delved into forbidden fantasies of what might've happened if they hadn't been rudely interrupted by that inconsiderate asshole vampire.

* * *

Dean turned off the music as he turned down the dirt road, looking again at the directions Faith had given him a few days ago. They were in the outskirts of the city, the properties they drove past far and few in between. Sam had been quiet for the last hour, continuously studying the charm he'd made and stuck on the roof inside the Impala, constantly picking at the tape and adding new strips, trying to make it exactly as the picture was.

"Are you sure this looks right?" Sam asked and Dean glanced up at it quickly and shrugged. "I guess we'll find out, right? What do you think will happen if it's not exactly the way it should be?"

"Don't know," Dean replied, focusing on the dark road ahead of them. "We're almost there, I think."

"You think?"

"The directions that Faith gave me was to turn down the dirt road after the highway marker. It's a private road, it ain't even on the map."

Sam looked out the window and sighed loudly and he grabbed the scrawled directions written on a diner napkin out of Dean's hand. He studied the map and sighed again. "Yeah, it's definitely not on the map, but look, I think I see a light up ahead."

Dean looked closely and sure enough there was a soft glowing light at the gates to the fence that surrounded the properly. "What's the code?"

"Seven, five, nine, three," Sam replied and Dean pulled up to the small keypad and rolled down the window. He punched in the numbers carefully and leaned back in his seat, watching as the gates slowly opened up. "Here goes nothing, right?"

"Right," Dean nodded and he eased his foot down on the gas pedal, a shimmering light surrounding them as they drove onto the property. "Good job, Sammy. Looks like that charm of yours worked like a charm."

"That was lame, even for you."

"Shut up, loser."

Dean drove carefully up the narrow gravel driveway and just over the rising hill, he spotted the compound. Faith had told him it was big, but from where he was, it looked like a frigging palace.

"Damn," Sam said under his breath. "This place looks huge. Are these people rich or something?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Damn."

Dean pulled his cell out of his pocket and quickly dialed Faith's number, smiling when she answered it before the second ring. "Hey, sweetheart, guess who is driving up to one frigging huge house right about now?"

_"So's you finally got your ass in Ohio, huh?"_

Ignoring the fact that she was obviously drinking, he smiled to himself. "Yeah, we're here. Where do I park?"

_"Oh you know, wherever. They ain't too picky about that kinda shit."_

"You gonna come down and meet us?"

_"Gimme about five minutes, dude."_

Dean chuckled as he hung up and looked over at Sam who was just staring at him with a stupid grin on his face. "What?"

"Oh come on," Sam laughed. "You're so totally into her. Do you even hear the way you talk to her?"

"Shut your frigging cake-hole or I _will_ hurt you."

"Come on, Dean, why does it rile you up so much that I'm calling you on it?"

"It just does, so just shut up about it already."

"You slept with her, didn't you?" Sam asked and Dean didn't respond as he pulled the Impala up beside a black Jeep and put it in park. "You did, didn't you?"

"Twice, so what?"

"So?"

"So, nothing. Hasn't happened since. She's not interested. Whatever. Besides, she's kind of in love with Buffy."

"What?" Sam laughed and he stopped Dean from getting out of the car. "What do you mean she's in love with Buffy? Dude, you slept with a lesbian and now you're all in love with her even though it's never going to happen? That's so messed up."

Dean was fuming, but it quickly faded as soon as he saw Faith step out the front door and look over at him and Sam. Flashing Sam a warning glare, he got out of the car and smiled at Faith as she walked down the front pathway towards him.

"Boy, you guys sure took your sweet damn time getting here!" Faith laughed as she playfully slugged Dean in the shoulder. "Good to see ya, dude."

"Got here as fast as we could."

"Bearing good news?" Faith asked and she smiled over at Sam as he got out of the car. Her smile faltered when Dean just shook his head no. "Damn, here I was hoping there'd be some good news. So, what's the what?"

"Maybe we should tell everyone together?" Dean said and she punched him again in the shoulder, not so playfully this time. "Damn it, Faith, that hurt!"

"Tell me right now."

"Well," Sam said as he stepped forward. "The short version is this," he said and he took a deep breath. "When you fought the First Evil and the Hellmouth in Sunnydale collapsed, it caused a chain reaction of sorts. It caused a collision."

"A what? Faith laughed dryly. "What kind of a collision?"

"Of your world and ours to collide."

Taking a step back, she sighed loudly. "That explains a lot of shit I've seen in the past ten months, for sure," she said quietly. "Come on, better gather the troops and you can tell them the long version of that story."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Faith was hyper-aware of how close Buffy was sitting next to her on the couch in the large living room where everyone had gathered to hear what Dean and Sam had found out about the Goddess Nereza and other world-changing events. The whiskey she'd been drinking earlier had given her a nice buzz, one that was slowly wearing off.

Sam was the center of attention, explaining everything he could about what he knew about Nereza and why they hadn't been able to find anything, not even a single reference to her. Faith had a lot of questions of her own, but she wasn't entirely focused on Sam, she was more focused on Buffy as she sat next to her on the couch, having squeezed herself down beside her and making her sit uncomfortably closer to Dean as well.

"Different universes have collided," Giles said as he rose to his feet. "Wouldn't this be something we would have been well aware of before now?"

"The signs aren't as clear as you would think," Sam replied. "But for us, they are."

"You know, it makes sense," Andrew spoke up and all eyes were suddenly on him. He cleared his throat as he stood up from his chair. "It hasn't been exactly in your face, but the signs have been there, Mr. Giles. We just haven't noticed them," he said and he frowned slightly. "It does explain why we can't find anything on Nereza and why Buffy's team ran into a nest of vampires they couldn't kill just by staking them a couple of months ago."

"You ran into the other breed of vamps?" Faith asked Buffy quietly and she nodded her head as she turned to look at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked and I never thought to mention it."

"Now, what do you propose we do about the severity of this situation? Surely there will be many consequences, Nereza just being one of many," Giles asked Sam specifically. "May I see the book you've brought along, the one that has the information you have on Nereza?"

Sam handed the book to Giles and Faith could swear he looked a little nervous having everyone's attention solely on him. "Because our worlds collided, your resources don't tap into the ones that we have access to. I was thinking that in a few days, I could change all that. We could help each other in more ways than one, especially if this is permanent," Sam said and Giles nodded as he sat down in his chair and started to flip through the pages of the book.

"You said Nereza is a Goddess of Love," Kennedy said and Sam looked over at her quickly. "So, if she's a Goddess of Love, why the hell is she after the scythe?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sam shrugged. "Being the Goddess of Love is the main purpose of her being, but all Goddesses show signs of malevolent behavior from time to time, especially when it comes to gaining more power for their own uses. Nereza, specifically, feeds on the essence of true love and will use that power to gain what she wants, what she needs."

"True love?" Buffy asked and Faith internally groaned as she felt Buffy tense up, her thigh pressing hard against her own. "Do we have any idea who she might be exploiting to get what she wants?"

"We have a few theories," Sam replied and Faith didn't fail to catch the angry glare that Dean sent his way. "But uh, they're just theories and we'll need to dig around a little more to figure it out. I did have an idea of why she would be after the scythe though."

"The essence," Giles replied. "If she can gain power through the essence of true love, the essence of a slayer being just as strong if not stronger would be reason enough for her to be after it."

Faith stood up, not even bothering to say a word as she slipped out of the living room and headed for the front door. She was itching for a cigarette and to get out of there before the tension she could feel between her and Buffy made her absolutely crazy. She grabbed her jacket out of the front closet and stepped outside, zipping it up as she huddled against the wall and quickly lit a cigarette. She groaned softly when the door opened just a moment later and Buffy stepped out, quickly shutting the door behind her.

"Shouldn't you be inside, B?" Faith asked briskly as she watched Buffy quickly zip up her jacket and shiver as she shoved her hands into the pockets.

"It's a lot to take in right now," Buffy replied quietly. "I kind of needed a break."

"Yeah, me too."

"I'm getting worried about Willow," she said and Faith nodded. Everyone was worried about Willow, even she was a little since she knew it wasn't normal for Willow to have just up and disappeared for a week. "What Sam said, about our worlds colliding, I'm worried that something might have happened to her when she uh…went poof and tried to protect the scythe."

"It was gone though, right? You did check?"

"Yeah, it was gone and I don't even know if it was Willow or if Nereza got to it first."

"Pretty sure if Nereza has the scythe, we'd know it by now."

"Right."

Faith sighed as she stared over at Buffy. Something else was clearly bothering her and she didn't want to guess just what it was. She did get the feeling that Buffy had been avoiding her since that night at the club, yet she was feeling too chicken-shit to confront her about it too.

"We're all worried about Willow, B," Faith said quietly when she noticed the tears brimming in Buffy's eyes. "She'll turn up one way or another."

"I just don't understand why she hasn't called."

"Don't know why either. Kennedy was stressing about it earlier too."

"There has to be a way of finding out where she's gone."

"You got connections with a bunch of coven's, B, have you tried—"

"They can't find her," Buffy said quickly, her eyes lowering to the ground. "She's not dead, they said they found traces of her essence, her magical imprint still lingering. If she was…dead, they'd be the first to know."

"She'll turn up, B," Faith said, the confidence in her voice wavering as she tried to stay positive about a dire situation. "Maybe she doesn't think it's safe to come to us yet and her staying away is what's keeping us all safe?"

"Maybe."

Faith took one last drag of her cigarette before flicking it to the ground. It was cold outside and the jacket she wore barely kept her warm enough. She stepped past Buffy and reached for the doorknob only to be stopped by reaching hands that spun her around quickly.

"I'm so confused, Faith," Buffy whispered as she backed Faith up against the front door. "That night we were attacked and evacuated, before everything came crashing down, the only thing I could think about was you."

"B, I—"

"And now that we've been here, things are back to the way they've always been. I feel like you've been avoiding me and—"

"Thought you were," Faith chuckled softly and Buffy dropped her hands from Faith's arms. "Look, we got ahead of ourselves in the club and outside. Heat of the moment, you know?"

"So, it was a mistake?"

"Not a mistake, just…" Faith trailed off as she suddenly became unsure what she wanted to say to Buffy. "You and me, we've always been complicated, right? Maybe what happened in the club was some weird way we were trying to let go, move on, whatever it was."

"You don't think it's a coincidence?" Buffy asked quietly and Faith didn't move, didn't say a word. "The first night you're here, we kissed during the Grappler demon attack and then last week at the club, we get attacked by that vampire outside the club and then the hotel comes under a full-scale attack. It's not a coincidence, is it?"

"What are you getting at, B?"

"It's us, isn't it?" She whispered. "We're the ones Nereza is feeding off of, exploiting, or whatever it is she's doing. It's you and me."

"Don't be ridiculous, B."

"It's true though, isn't it?"

"What is true? That what we have is true frigging love? I don't think so, girlfriend. So yeah, maybe it was just a coincidence things happened between us and shit followed. Maybe it's some kind of cosmic sign that what we did wasn't meant to be."

"Or it is. Meant to be, that is."

"I don't think so—"

"Then kiss me again and tell me you don't feel it too," Buffy said as she stepped dangerously close to Faith. "What? Are you, scared?"

"Terrified."

"Of me?"

"Of not being able to stop once I kiss you again, B."

"What if I don't want you to stop?"

"Not afraid of what'll happen after?" Faith whispered huskily as her hands reached out to grip Buffy's hips. "Not afraid of things going further, cos once I start kissing you again, B, I am gonna want all of you and I won't be able to stop."

Faith had never been so honest in her life and she could feel Buffy trembling slightly as she held on to her. "Then don't stop," Buffy's voice barely came out more than a whisper that Faith barely caught before Buffy was pulling her in for a heated kiss.

* * *

Dean looked around the room as the others discussed several theories when it came to Nereza and whatever evil plan she had up her sleeves. They knew it concerned the scythe, but everyone was determined to find another reason, any other reason. Running his hand over the back of his neck, he looked around the room for Faith. She had left almost half an hour before and shortly after, Buffy had disappeared as well.

"They're probably just talking," Kennedy said as she sat down on the couch next to him and handed him a cold beer. "What?" She laughed when all he did was stare at her, confused. "Like I don't know you're not wondering where Faith is and why Buffy is with her."

"Whatever," Dean bristled and he nodded at her as he raised the can of beer to his lips, a silent thank you for her getting him one. He definitely did need a drink and wanted something far stronger than the beer Kennedy had given to him. "You're worried about her, aren't you? Willow, I mean."

"Yeah," Kennedy nodded slowly, speaking quietly as she glanced around the room.

"She'll turn up," Dean said with a small smile.

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but it hasn't happened yet."

"Dean?" Sam called out from where he and Giles were going through the book he'd brought with him. Dean walked over to where they were standing and sipped his beer noisily. "We might have found something."

"What kind of something?"

"It's uh, just a loose theory right now, but Nereza just doesn't want the scythe to gain more power, she wants to…" Sam trailed off as a few others around them became silent and turned their attention to him. "Like I said, it's just a theory, but the scythe is a very powerful weapon. She doesn't just want what's inside the scythe, she wants to use it to take back what was given when Willow cast the spell on it in Sunnydale."

"In short, we believe she wishes to end the slayer line completely," Giles said lowly and he removed his glasses, sighing heavily. "It wouldn't be the first time something has tried to end the line. Although it is just a theory, it is the closest to a reason we have that she's attacked us twice already."

"Where's Buffy and Faith?" Sam asked Dean and he just shrugged. "They should be in here hearing this," he said and he looked around the room. "Didn't Faith step out for a smoke earlier?"

"I'll go look for them," Dean said and he placed his beer on the fireplace mantel and headed for the front door.

Dean wasn't sure what he'd gotten himself and Sam into. A big part of this problem seemed to be something that they never would've been involved in before. Slayers were just a story, a myth, and yet there they were, helping them stop a Goddess. A freaking Goddess. They were definitely out of their minds, yet they were in too deep to get out now. Dean opened the front door and stepped outside, the front porch empty and quiet as he shut the door behind him.

Dean zipped up his jacket and whipped his head to the left when he heard moans coming from the side of the house. Smirking, he followed the pathway around to the side door and stopped in his tracks. His heart felt like it'd been crushed to pieces as he saw Faith and Buffy, heavily kissing and hands in places that would normally turn him on, but was having the opposite affect on him. He backed away slowly, not wanting to disturb them, but he knew he had to. They should be inside and not out there, making out like a couple of horny teenagers.

Shaking his head, he turned and walked back in the direction he came in. They'd come around sooner or later. He was just afraid to say anything, afraid because he knew how he felt when it came to Faith and the last thing he wanted was to say something that would push her out of his life for good.

"Hey, did you find them?" Sam asked as Dean walked back into the house.

"No, I—"

"Dean?" Sam motioned for him to step into the other room and he shut the pocket door quietly. "This is a big problem we're dealing with, bigger than you and me, bigger than them," he said quietly. "Dean, what's with you?"

"What? Nothing," Dean said quickly. "So, how big of a problem are we talking here? World-ending still?"

"For them," Sam replied and he cocked his head to the side, studying Dean closely for a minute. "You did find them, didn't you?"

"Sammy—"

"What did you walk in on?" Sam asked him and Dean laughed, trying to play it off as if it wasn't even bothering him. "What? Dean, tell me."

"Remember those movies we watched that one time Dad left us alone to do a job?"

"We watched a lot of movies. Be a little more specific, Dean."

"Two hot chicks, making out, hands in naughty places," Dean wiggled his eyebrows and Sam chortled. "Didn't want to stop them, you know?"

"As hot as that might be, this just makes our problem even bigger," Sam said and he grabbed Dean by the shoulders. "We were right about the Goddess feeding off the essence of true love. It's likely there's some kind of force pulling the two of them together and she's using it to her advantage."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Dude, from what you told me about Faith's history with Buffy, does the fact that they're making out not strike you as odd? They're the last ones who make up the definition of true love, don't you think?"

"Faith's in love with her," Dean said lowly. "She's finally getting what she wants. Big deal. What's the Goddess have to do with the fact that Faith finally got the girl?"

Dean pushed past Sam and slid the pocket door open. He joined the rest of the group in the other room and hastily snatched his beer where he'd left it on the mantel. He and Sam hadn't even been in Ohio for an hour and already he was itching to grab his stuff, hop in the Impala and get the hell outta dodge.

* * *

Faith moaned as Buffy kissed her deeper, Buffy's hands sliding into her hair and gripping tight, keeping her right where she was. From the first second their lips crushed together, Faith could feel the sparks flying between them and she couldn't stop kissing her. It had been Buffy who led them around to the side door, eliminating the chances that someone would catch them out there together.

"Fuck," Faith groaned as she pulled back from Buffy's lips, her hands currently gripping tight onto Buffy's lithe ass. "Maybe we should go inside, B. It's cold out here and—"

"I'm feeling a bit warm, actually," Buffy breathed out huskily and Faith pulled her closer, her grip growing tighter. "Don't stop," she whispered, her lips brushing over Faith's as they both breathed heavily, clutching to one another.

Buffy took the reigns and pushed Faith up against the wall, a hand moving between their bodies as she cupped Faith over her jeans, eliciting a loud moan from Faith. Faith stared into Buffy's eyes, not mistaking the lust that filled them as Buffy continued to rub her through her jeans. It'd definitely been a while for Faith and she was feeling it all over, unable to stop, unable to find one piece of strength to push Buffy away from her and give them time to come down to their senses.

"Come on," Buffy whispered as she roughly took Faith's hand in hers and pulled her away from the side door.

"B, where we going?"

"Somewhere where it's less cold and a little more comfortable," she said as she looked back at Faith over her shoulder and winked.

Faith followed Buffy down the driveway that led to the large training barn. She used her key to unlock the door and they stepped inside the darkness. Without turning on a single light, Buffy led Faith through the main room and around to the back where one of the smaller storage rooms were. Pushing her up against the wall, Buffy shut the door next to her and flipped on the light.

"You were right when we said we had to talk about this," Buffy said as she unzipped Faith's jacket slowly. "But when have we ever been good at this whole talking thing, Faith?" Faith inhaled sharply as Buffy stepped back and unzipped her own jacket and took it off. "Every time I'm near you, I feel like I'm going crazy," she said quietly as she turned her back to Faith and looked around the storage room. Seven well-worn mats were propped up against the wall and with a kick, they fell, the thud echoing through the otherwise empty room.

Faith stayed up against the wall and she licked over her lips, watching as Buffy slowly turned around and faced her. "Every time you've kissed me," Buffy continued, slowly taking a few steps to close the gap between them, "I can't even explain how it made me feel since I've never felt anything like it."

"It feels like fire," Faith breathed and Buffy laughed sensually as she closed the distance between them, her hands sliding under the lapels of Faith's jacket before pushing it off of her. "Like electricity, jolting through you, awakening you."

Buffy moaned as she pressed her body into Faith's deliciously. "I never knew you had quite a way with words."

"Surprise myself sometimes," Faith chuckled and she caught the small eye roll from Buffy as she laughed too. "But you feel it too, don't you?"

"How about we don't talk?" Buffy whispered in a husky voice that had that fire, that electricity coursing wildly through Faith's body as she ran her hands over Buffy's narrow hips. "How about just for once we just…"

Buffy's lips captured hers in a searing kiss. Faith responded instantly, the fire inside her, the passion too much to deny and fight. She spun Buffy around and pressed her up against the wall, one hand moving to slide up Buffy's stomach slowly, her fingers lingering just below her pert breasts as they kissed each other with hungry passion. Feeling bold as Buffy moaned into her mouth, she cupped her left breast roughly, feeling the hard nipple harden beneath the material of Buffy's shirt. Buffy's hands were grasping and then reaching for the hem of Faith's shirt, roughly pulling it up and they broke away from each other's lips just for a second to discard Faith's t-shirt on the floor beside them. Their lips met again with fiery passion as Buffy slipped a leg between Faith's and pressed her thigh into Faith's center, eliciting a moan that rumbled through Faith quickly.

Buffy took control, a move that surprised Faith, and she pushed away from the wall and pulled Faith with her towards the mats she'd kicked down to the floor. She hooked a leg around Faith's, pulling it out from under her and they topped down to the mats, their lips still devouring one another's as hands began roaming again. Buffy stopped abruptly and sat back, straddling Faith and stared down at her, both of them breathing hard.

Faith inhaled sharply as she ran her hands up Buffy's thighs, her jeans beneath her palms smooth and warm. Buffy licked over her lips, smiling down at her before she pulled up her loose fitting long sleeve shirt, revealing she had decided to go without a bra that day, and tossed it behind her. Faith sat up in a flash, her arms wrapping tightly around Buffy as their lips met again. Regaining some sense of control, Faith flipped Buffy on her back and broke away from her lips, grinning down at her.

"You really can't handle anyone else being on top, can you?"

"I can, but the question is," Faith replied as she ducked her head down and licked across a hard nipple. "Can you?"

Buffy answered, not with words, but by reaching around Faith and unclasping her bra, forcefully yanking it away before pulling Faith down on top of her. Faith smirked down at her before capturing her lips once again, unable to get enough of how Buffy's lips and tongue felt against her own, nor could she get over how soft Buffy's skin felt as she was held close against her.

Moving her hips against Buffy's, Faith gasped as Buffy hooked a leg around hers, opening herself more to her. Faith's mind was drowning and her body was fully alive for what felt like the first time in a long time. She felt like they had all the time in the world and at the same time, she felt like the minutes were ticking by too quickly and that their time would be running out soon. Moving a hand between their bodies, Faith flicked open the button on Buffy's jeans and instantly found herself on her back with Buffy's determined lips kissing and nipping their way down her neck.

Kicking off her boots, Faith allowed Buffy to be in control since it was clear that it was exactly what she wanted. She ran her hands up Buffy's arms and her shoulders, watching as her lips moved lower, avoiding her breasts yet paying special attention to her belly button, her wet, hot tongue dipping inside before she pulled back, her hands on Faith's belt, insistent fingers undoing it and pulling open the four buttons on her jeans.

Buffy inhaled deeply as she gripped the top of Faith's jeans and slowly lowered them, raising an eyebrow at her as Faith lifted her butt to help her rid them with ease. Leaving Faith laying on the mats in just a pair of black panties, Buffy stood and her appreciative glare was not lost on Faith for a second. She leaned up on her elbows and watched with hungry eyes as Buffy kicked off her boots and stripped out of her jeans and her panties, leaving nothing left to the imagination for it was all right there in front of Faith's very eyes.

Sitting up, Faith's eyes roamed appreciatively over Buffy's body, taking in every inch of naked skin on display. She reached out and grabbed Buffy by her hips and pulled her down, laying her on her back as she hovered over her body.

"This is us, isn't it?" Faith whispered, a trembling hand trailing down Buffy's body. "I mean, this isn't the Goddess doing this to us, is it?"

"Would it matter if it was?"

"Yeah, it would," Faith said thinly. "Is it? Or is this us?"

Buffy reached up and cupped her face gently, a sincere look in her eyes backed with the haziness of lust and desire. "It's us. Just you and me. Giving in…"

"Taking what we want…"

"And you can have all of me, even if just for tonight," Buffy whispered, the meaning behind their words not at all lost as Faith's mind swam through the heavy memories they shared. "Do you want me?"

"Yes…"

"Take me, have me, make me yours," Buffy groaned as she pulled Faith down fully on top of her and kissed her with everything that she had and more.

* * *

Dean stood in the doorway to the living room, listening as the others drew up their own speculations and theories about what had happened to their world, why theirs and another had collided after the events inside the Sunnydale Hellmouth. His mind kept wandering back to what he'd seen outside, how close Faith and Buffy had been and he had no doubt that things could've heated up a lot more between them in the time he'd come back inside. Shifting his weight, he leaned against the doorframe and sighed heavily, arms crossed, his mind drifting back and forth.

"Sam, do you have access to more information about the Goddess, perhaps?" Giles asked as he peered up from the book in front of him.

"I have a few articles on my laptop," he replied and he pointed over to Andrew who was already reading them as well as printing them off. "They're more essays than actual facts, unfortunately."

"At this rate, anything we have we must thoroughly observe, look for clues, reasons, abilities that Nereza may have and use against us to aid her in—"

"Whoa," Willow gasped as she materialized in the middle of the living room and Dean pushed himself off the doorframe, eyes wide in shock just as everyone else was as they stared at her. "That sure was a crazy ride. I feel…dizzy," she groaned and Kennedy leapt towards her before she could fall to the floor. "Hi," she said with a slur and Kennedy carried her over to the couch, several of the young slayers moving so she could be laid down.

"Willow, oh my god," Kennedy said as she smoothed back Willow's messy hair away from her face. "We've been so worried about you! Where have you been? It's been a week!"

"A week?" Willow paled as she struggled to sit up. "No, no it hasn't been a week. We were just attacked and I got the scythe. I found somewhere safe and I had this feeling you guys would be here so I just popped this way."

"Wil," Kennedy said calmly as she knelt beside the couch. "You didn't just pop up here. It's been a week."

"Oh." Willow went quiet as everyone gathered around, nobody speaking. "Really?"

Dean watched as a flurry of emotions flickered across the Wiccan's face and he could almost feel the heartbreak and devastation flooding from her from where he stood.

"I'm so sorry," Willow cried as Kennedy hugged her and held her close. "If I had known that—"

"It's okay," Kennedy said in a rush. "You're back here with us where you belong. Are you okay?"

"I still feel dizzy," she replied softly. "And thirsty and suddenly very, very hungry."

"Dean," Sam said quietly as he walked up to him. "You know this just isn't a coincidence, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

Sam motioned for Dean to follow him out into the hallway. "What you told me earlier about what you saw outside, it's connected to the Goddess and wherever she was, she was trapped there until whatever barrier that was keeping her from coming back was broken."

"How do you know any of this, Sam?"

"What do you think I've been doing since you called me, Dean? I've been researching non-stop with everything I could get my hands on that even remotely seemed to be related to their world and this Goddess."

"So, what are you saying? Faith and Buffy are screwing right now and it made some kind of unknown barrier break open long enough to allow Willow to come back?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying and if they're still…doing it, the barrier could still be open and we might not be—"

"Safe," Dean gulped as the house began to shake, very subtle for a few seconds before it gradually began to get worse. "Oh hell no—"

* * *

Faith gasped as she rode against Buffy's hand, her face buried in Buffy's neck as she felt her orgasm building far quicker than the last. Faith curled the two fingers she had buried inside Buffy's cunt, moaning with her as she felt Buffy's orgasm ripple throughout her body.

"Uhn, oh god," Buffy panted as she fucked Faith harder, faster, driving three fingers inside of her as deep as she could.

"Fuck," Faith moaned as she moved her lips from Buffy's neck to capture Buffy's in a languid, passionate kiss.

Neither noticed that the ground was shaking beneath them as Faith came with a loud moan, her hips jerking against Buffy's hands as she gradually stilled her fingers inside of her. They stared into each other's eyes, hands moving to hips as Faith lowered herself against Buffy in an intimate kiss.

"Faith…"

"That was something else," Faith murmured, her mind fogging over at the feel of Buffy's wet pussy against her own. "You feel so good."

"Faith…" Buffy cried out, back arching into Faith as their bodies began to move against one another. "Oh god, the ground is shaking."

"Huh?"

"Faith, stop," Buffy said quickly, her eyes going wide as she held on to Faith's hips tightly, stopping her from moving a muscle. "Tell me you feel that too."

"Shit," Faith said and they both scrambled to their feet, grabbing their clothes. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this ain't a good sign! You know, unless you get earthquakes in Ohio."

"We don't!"

"The Hellmouth?"

Buffy shook her head as she pulled on her jeans and then quickly yanked her shirt on. "No, we're too far. It's something else."

"Are we ever gonna catch a break?" Faith muttered as she quickly dressed. As she reached for her boots, she was pulled into a tight embrace. "Is it just me or is it starting to look like every time we hook up, something major happens?"

"It's not just you," Buffy said and she didn't let go until they shared one last wildly passionate kiss that left them both breathless. "Come on, let's get inside the house and find out what the hell is going on here."

_Nothing is ever cut and dry, is it? The life of a Slayer, it's never a boring one, that's for sure_, Faith thought as she pulled on her boots and ran out after Buffy, snatching her jacket up from the ground on the way out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Faith ran behind Buffy as they headed for the house, both of them coming to a sudden stop as an eerie green light surrounded the house, lighting up the darkness all around them.

"What's going on?" Faith panted as she looked at Buffy. "B, what is that?"

"I don't know," Buffy said quietly and she reached into her jacket and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly dialed a number and pulled the phone away from her ear, a loud screeching noise coming in on the line. "Okay, this is officially not of the good."

"What gave that away? The screeching on the phone? Cos I'm gonna go with the whole green light that's surrounding the entire house is definitely a big sign of this being not of the good here, B!"

Faith knew her sarcasm had hit a sour note with Buffy, but she said nothing as she dialed another number and held her cell phone to her ear. Faith watched the eerie green glow as it shimmered around the house and she could feel the intensity of it even though they stood a good twenty feet away.

"Chris, we have a problem," Buffy said quickly as she began to pace. "How soon can you get here? Twenty minutes? Can you be a little faster than that? We have a…big problem on our hands. Okay," she said and she hung up as she turned to Faith.

"Who'd ya call, B? Ghostbusters?"

"Funny, Faith. I called a local witch, an ally who can help us."

"Help us?" Faith asked and she stretched out her arms as she motioned to the house. "What the hell do we need help with? It's just some green light all glowing and shit. Let's just walk in there and—"

"Don't," Buffy said quickly, but Faith turned on her heels and walked towards the side door, the intensity of the magic surrounding the house making her hair stand up and her skin prickle. "Faith! Stop!"

Faith continued walking, ignoring Buffy. About five feet from the door, she was literally zapped and thrown back, landing on her back just in front of where Buffy was standing. The wind was knocked out of her momentarily and she pulled herself to her feet, panting hard as she rubbed her ass.

"Well, shit."

"In all the years of being a slayer, have you not learned not to walk head first into something that is glowing like that?" Buffy asked her as she waved a hand towards the house. "Are you okay?"

"Packed quite a punch," Faith groaned. "Not quite like you do, but still landed on my ass all the same."

"We have weapons inside the barn," Buffy said and she started back the way they'd come. "Come on, Faith. Whatever we're facing, we can't stand against it without arming ourselves first."

"B—"

"What?"

"Problem with that," Faith said as her eyes grew wide. The same green glow surrounded the training barn, starting out dim and growing within seconds. Buffy turned to look at the barn and she let out a deflated sigh. "Oh hell—"

* * *

Dean felt helpless as he watched the Goddess grip Willow by the throat, her body dangling helplessly in the air as she struggled against her, struggled to breathe. Slowly he inched his way over to where Sam was standing and he nudged him in the side.

"That ain't no Goddess," Dean whispered. "That's a demon."

"No kidding. Powerful one, too."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking the usual devil's trap isn't gonna work."

Dean groaned quietly as Nereza flung Willow easily across the room, her body hitting the wall, cracking the plaster before she fell to the floor, whimpering in pain as she curled her body up into a fetal position.

Dean watched as Giles grabbed an old sword on display above the mantel and swung at Nereza, watching and flinching with mercy pain as Giles was flung across the room, his unconscious body falling just inches away from Willow.

"Stupid fool," Nereza growled in a voice that was far too deep for whom she appeared to be, a young woman, breathtakingly beautiful with piercing bright blue eyes and black hair. "You are all fools! You think you can stop me?"

"We can," Dean said as he stepped forward, ignoring the demonic laughter and he grinned a cocky smile her way. "Oh come on, gorgeous, you think you can fool us? You aren't a Goddess," he chuckled as he reached for his gun nestled in the waistband at the small of his back. "You're nothing more than a demon, aren't you?"

"Dean," Sam warned as he grabbed his arm before he could pull out his gun. "I wouldn't if I were you."

"Where is it, witch!" Nereza growled as she seamlessly floated towards Willow and pulled her up to her feet by her hair. "Where. Is. It?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Willow replied through gritted teeth.

"The scythe, you idiot witch!"

"Oh, that," Willow chuckled as Nereza let go of her and she stumbled backwards. She groaned as she rubbed the back of her head, her eyes noticeably darker as she glared at the demon. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Crackles of electricity flowed from Nereza's fingertips and Dean looked to Sam, alarmed. "This ain't not ordinary demon."

"No, but it's not a Goddess either."

"You sure about that, Sammy?"

"If it was," Sam said and he glanced up at the ceiling where they'd painted a trap that should've eliminated all the Goddess' powers if she was who she truly said she was to be. "Yeah," Sam nodded as Dean reached for his gun again and pointed it at Nereza as she stood just a few feet away from them. "Dean—"

"You're not a Goddess, so what are you, bitch?"

"Mortal, how dare you insult me," she spat, unmoving from where she stood, oblivious to the fact that Sam had moved from Dean's side. "I am something you cannot conceive, something not even your deepest, darkest nightmares can dream of. I am not a Goddess, nor am I am demon. I am not of your world, but I am far more powerful than anything you and these people have ever faced."

"Why Nereza?" Dean asked her, cocky demeanor with balls of steel front and center. She growled as she neared him, but stopped short. "Got something to live up to? Trying to be someone you are not?"

"I devoured her whole," she cackled. "Every bit of her power is now mine. You cannot stop me from getting what I want. Do you know how I was able to get past your pathetic barriers? It is because of _them_!"

"Faith and Buffy," Giles said drowsily as he pushed himself up from the floor. "It is them, isn't it?"

"Bit late to the party, aren't you, Rupert? Tsk tsk."

"Not late, not in the least," Giles replied, sounding stronger, surer as he stood firm on his feet. "Nereza's powers control you and you still fight it. You fought her for a long time, didn't you? Your power, your strength, your life force, it all began to drain until you finally figured it out, didn't you? True love transcends all power in the world and you found it in them, yet you are still after the next best thing, using them to gain what you want. The scythe."

Nereza clapped slowly, an eerie smile curling over her lips as she lowered her hands. "Congratulations, Watcher," she laughed and she stepped forward, her delicate looking yet strong fingers wrapping around his neck tightly. "You figured it all out, haven't you? Your slayers brought me here, their connection, oh how it burns beneath me, lights me on fire inside. To have them succumb to their primitive desires, it summoned me. Intoxicating, like a drug."

Dean gritted his teeth as he clutched his gun that was still aimed at Nereza. The bullets were engraved, enchanted, doused in holy water and capable of taking down a demon. But, Dean knew, this wasn't just any demon. This one didn't walk his world or the other. It walked another world entirely and he knew they were all in over their heads.

But it wasn't over until it was over, that much he knew, and he took aim and fired straight at the heart, a clear shot and he held his breath as the world exploded into utter and complete darkness all around him.

* * *

The blast threw Faith and Buffy a good fifteen feet from where they'd been standing. Scrambling to her feet, Faith held out a hand down to Buffy and pulled her up, nothing but emptiness standing before them where the house once stood.

"Holy shit," Faith murmured under her breath as she let go of Buffy's hand abruptly.

"What just happened?"

"Beats me!" Faith gasped as she turned to look at where the training barn once stood, it too and the trailers the young slayers had been staying in, disappeared completely, as if they had never been there at all. "What the _hell_ is going on here, Buffy?"

"I don't know!" Buffy yelled and she dropped to her knees, her whole body trembling as she gripped the snow on the ground beneath her. "Oh my god."

Faith watched in horror as Buffy pulled out a jagged piece of metal from her left thigh. She tossed it to the ground, gasping in pain as the blood quickly stained the snow beneath her.

"B?" Faith said, her voice shaky as she dropped to her knees. "Come on, we gotta get outta here."

"And go where!"

"I don't know!"

Faith gasped as she glanced at the gash in Buffy's thigh. It was deep and bleeding profusely.. She tore off her jacket and ripped off the sleeve, wrapping it tightly around her thigh above the deep wound before slipping on what was left of her jacket, minus the left sleeve. It was colder than it had been moments ago and their gasping breaths left clouds of steam between them as they kneeled there, staring at one another.

"We gotta get you stitched up," Faith said under her breath as she got to her feet and hoisted Buffy up, supporting most of her weight as she cried out in pain. "You know this area better than me. Anyone close by?"

"A mile," Buffy said quietly, her voice coming out no more than a whimper. "Closest neighbor is about a mile west down the road."

Faith groaned as she wrapped a firm arm around Buffy's waist, trying in vain to hold her upright. A mile was nothing, but with an injured slayer, it seemed like it would be a hundred thousand miles longer. With no vehicle in sight, Faith started walking in the direction she knew was towards the road, helping Buffy along, moving slowly, far too slowly.

"What about your witch?" Faith said as she slowed down. "Isn't she supposed to be coming?"

"I—yes…" Buffy said through strangled breaths. "Maybe we should—we should wait for Chris."

"Call her."

Faith shifted her arms around Buffy, allowing her to be able to reach into the pocket where her cell phone was. Her heart started to pound harder than ever when Buffy's eyes went wide and blank with shock.

"What?" Faith rasped into the cold of the night. "B?"

"It's not there."

"You drop it or something?"

"No," she sighed and cried out in pain as she tried to stand on her injured leg. "It was right there five minutes ago, Faith!"

Faith lost her grip on Buffy and she fell down to the snowy ground with a loud groan. Faith checked her own pockets and quickly discovered her phone too was missing, her smokes intact as well but her lighter gone as well. Clenching her jaw tightly, she pulled Buffy back to her feet and started walking towards the road through the foot deep snow that hadn't previously been then no less than ten minutes ago or less.

Faith couldn't figure out what was happening. One minute they were rushing back to the house as the earth shook and they saw the green eerie glow surrounding the house and the training barn and the next they were blasted back as she tried to enter the house and now, now she didn't know what the hell had happened or what was going on. And Buffy was hurt, they were both without their cell phones and there wasn't a single soul in sight.

_This is hell, isn't it?_ Faith thought as she held Buffy close to her, both walking slowly through the deep snow. _This is definitely hell, no doubt about that._

* * *

Two hours of walking and they never came across the road that shouldn't have been more than a ten minute walk in the foot deep snow. Faith groaned loudly, ignoring how cold and tired she was as she held on to Buffy as they stopped at a small cluster of pine trees.

"Faith I—I can't," Buffy sighed quietly, out of breath. "I need to rest."

"B, if we stop, we're gonna freeze to death," Faith grunted and she tried to keep going, but Buffy was dead on her feet and she wriggled out of Faith's arms and collapsed into the snow. "Buffy, we can't stop. We gotta keep going."

"I can't."

"You can. You gotta."

Faith pulled her back to her feet. She shuddered as Buffy clutched to her and she looked around for any signs of the road that should've been there. None of it made any sense to her, not the house and the training barn, not to mention the vehicles and the helicopter disappearing into thin air when they'd been thrown back by an invisible blast. Yes, she knew they couldn't stop. The coldness of the night would surely kill them if they stopped and yet there was no telling how close or how far they were to seeking help. She didn't even recognize where they were and from the way Buffy's eyes darted around, she knew Buffy didn't either.

They continued slowly, stumbling through the snow, limbs frozen, clothes wet and freezing. Faith shivered as they emerged from the cluster of pine trees and onto another open field. A quarter of a mile ahead, Faith could see the faint flickering of light and she continued on, not willing to give up. Not now.

"Faith…" Buffy groaned weakly, her grip becoming slack as Faith pulled her along through the wide open field of snow. "I—I can't."

"Yes you _can_, B. Come on," Faith said and she stopped, pulling Buffy up and closer to her. "Don't bail now, B," she said with a weak smile. "Look, there's a house not far. Just hold on, okay?"

The walk through the deep snow to the small house with candlelight flooding almost every window took forever and a day. The coldness that had plagued Faith's body had been replaced with sheer determination and adrenaline, her only focus being getting to somewhere warm and safe where Buffy could be properly looked after, stitched up and rest until she was ready and able again.

Faith ended up carrying Buffy the rest of the way to the small house, more-so a cabin nestled in between a grove of trees. She used her foot to pound on the door and stumbled back, clutching Buffy close to her as she waited.

"Stay back, you hear me!"

"Oh shit," Faith groaned as a double-barreled shotgun thrust out from the crack in the door, aimed directly at her face. "Hey!" Faith said shakily. "My—my friend is hurt and we need help."

"Help?" The voice said, the shotgun still aimed at her. "Go away."

"Please," Faith pleaded. "We're unarmed and harmless, I swear."

"Who are you?" The voice asked. "What are you doing on my land?"

"We—we had an accident," Faith said, her voice trembling as she felt Buffy start to slip from her hold. "Please," she begged, hating how desperate she sounded even though she was. "Help us. Please."

The wooden door slowly creaked open, revealing an old woman inside, her shotgun still aimed at Faith's face as she peered outside. "Who are you?"

"Neighbors."

The old woman cackled as she cocked the shot gun, stepping outside and she pressed the end of the barrel against Faith's forehead. "Liar. Ain't got no neighbors stupid or crazy enough to travel miles in this snow and cold that'll freeze ya half to death in minutes."

"Please," Faith whispered, her lips trembling as she stared at the gun pressed against her forehead. "We just need help, ma'am."

"She's hurt," the old woman said as she suddenly retracted the gun from Faith's forehead. "What happened to her, dearie?"

"It was an accident," Faith said quickly and she gasped as the woman grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and pulled her inside so quickly she nearly dropped Buffy.

"Put her on the bed," the woman demanded, pointing a bony finger towards the cot along the wall by the big fireplace. "How deep?"

"I—I don't know. Deep," Faith said as she laid Buffy down on the cot and stumbled as the old woman briskly pushed her away. She pulled out a long knife from the sheath on her belt and carefully cut away Buffy's jeans around the wound.

"Make yourself useful," she said as she pressed her hands to Buffy's thigh. "Go boil the water and fetch the thread and needle from the kit. Move, dearie. Times a wasting longer you stand there with your mouth gaping like a fish, girl."

Faith did as she was told, finding a pot she filled with a jug of water and placed over the grill on the fire. The sewing kit lay open on the wooden table and she grabbed it, checking it over quickly before she brought it over to the old woman.

"We must wait for the water," she said quietly. "Must sterilize before we stitch or the infection will kill the poor girl."

"Ma'am—"

"Do I look like a "ma'am" to you?" She snapped. "Call me Bernie. S'what most do."

"Bernie," Faith said quietly as she studied the older woman carefully, noticing her well-worn clothes, the dirty hair and skin. "Where are we?"

"When, you mean?"

"What?"

"It's not a question of where, girl, it's _when_," Bernie replied hastily. "Reckon it's late 1700's, give or take. Been here short of a year, I think," she said and she muttered to herself as she waved at the wall full of lines, similar to those Faith had seen in prison from previous inmate who counted away the days. "Didn't always live in this time," she said and shook her head. "Something happened. One day I'm out riding my horse, doing my chores, escaping the city life out on the old family farm and then the next thing I know, I'm here and I've bee stuck here since."

"How do you know what year it is?" Buffy asked weakly.

"Travelled around during the summer months," Bernie replied. "Was pretty apparent I wasn't from my own time after a few days here, no heat, no electricity, no cars, nothing. Right back in the olden days we are and we gotta fed for ourselves. No matter what it takes."

Faith furrowed her brow as she looked over at Buffy who was equally confused. Faith walked over to the cot and knelt beside Buffy. "What do you make of all this, B? You believe her or ya think she's just some crazy hermit and we went in the wrong direction, missed the road?"

"I—I don't know, Faith."

"Girl," Bernie snapped at Faith. "Your names? Only the polite thing to do since you already know mine."

"I'm Buffy," she whispered and Faith crossed her arms over her chest, lips pressed tightly together. "That's Faith."

"Goodness gracious! Say it isn't so?" Bernie laughed as she danced around the room, whooping as she held up the hem of her long brown dress. "I have something that belongs to you, dear."

"What? How?"

"Found it when I was digging a new garden. Ground just opened up into some kind of little underground cavern of sorts," Bernie said and she busied herself, going through a pile of wooden crates before she pulled a long one out and settled it down on the floor where Buffy and Faith could see. "It says your name," Bernie said as she brushed off the dust from the top of the crate. "Property of Buffy A. Summers."

"What is it?" Buffy asked as she sat up slowly on the cot, her injury forgotten for the moment. "Bernie, how can you have something that is mine?"

"Don't know what it is, didn't care to open something that didn't belong to me or mine," she replied and Faith moved towards the crate. It was small yet long and she knew it could be anything. "Well, what are ya waiting for? Open it. Quell my curiosity that has plagued me for months on an end, will ya?"

Faith pried the lid off the crate, eyes opening in surprise as she saw the flames from the fireplace bounce off the glistening red blade of the scythe. She pulled it out slowly, feeling the power of it humming in her hands and she turned to Buffy who was sitting straight up on the cot, staring at the scythe in shock.

"Fancy weapon," Bernie said under her breath. "That belong to you, girl?"

"Y—yes," Buffy nodded as Faith joined her, sitting beside her on the cot, mindful of her injured leg. She handed it to Buffy who held it tight. "But how? Willow took it to protect it, put it somewhere safe."

"Wasn't where she was taking it, but when," Faith sighed and she stood up from the cot and walked back over to the crate. Inside she found a yellowed envelope and pulled it out. She carefully opened it and inside was a letter. "Think you better be the one who reads this, B."

Handing the letter off to Buffy, she found herself being dragged over to the fireplace by Bernie. "My fifth great-grandpappy owned this land and it was passed down throughout generations that one day, a woman arrived in the dead of night, looking for what was hers," she said quietly and she used a thick rag to pull the boiling pot of water out of the fire. "The story of the woman lost itself over the years, but now I understand. I don't understand how this could happen, but after being sent here, I see now that this world is not all that I once believed."

"Faith?" Buffy called out quietly. "I know what we're doing here."

"What, B?"

"Willow said in the letter that we're here to kill Nereza before the demon that's after her can consume her life force," she said and she inhaled slowly. "We're here to change the future. _Our_ future."

* * *

"Everyone okay?" Giles called out into the darkness as the girls in the room gasped, some afraid, some just spooked after what had just happened. A match was struck and a candle lit, illuminating the darkness of the room. "Is everyone here and accounted for?"

"Except the demon," Sam said as he and Dean looked around the dark room for any sign of Nereza. "Where'd she go?"

"No idea," Dean shrugged. "Still trying to figure out what the hell just happened."

"A ripple," Willow whispered as all eyes turned to her. "Can I—can someone please get me a glass of water?"

"Willow, what sort of ripple?" Giles asked as he stood by her side, gentle hands helping guide her over to sit on the couch. "A time ripple?"

"Yes," she nodded slowly. "I—I'll explain everything," she whispered, her voice raspy as she rubbed over her throat. "I just need some water."

"Here," Dawn said as she quickly moved past the crowd of young slayers gathered around and handed Willow a bottle of water. "Are you okay, Wil?"

Willow nodded her head slowly, smiling to herself before she downed the entire bottle in just a few sips. "I'm fine, we're all fine. We're safe, Nereza or the demon who consumed her, cannot harm any of us now. We just have to wait."

"Wait?" Dawn asked as she sat down next to her. "What are we waiting for?"

"For Buffy and Faith to come back," Willow replied simply.

"What are you talking about? I just saw them outside not that long ago," Dean spoke up and Willow laughed quietly. "What's so funny?"

"I'll try to explain," she said and she looked around the room, finding Giles in the crowd of young slayers, instructing a few to search the house for more candles while Xander tried to restore the power. "Shortly after we arrived here after Sunnydale, I found a spell, something very unique, something I truly believed couldn't exist, but it only existed because our world, and theirs," she said as she pointed to Dean and Sam, "had collided. This spell, I had no idea what it could do, until the first time I used it and found myself back in Sunnydale, watching myself, Xander and Buffy sit outside the school, having lunch, laughing and talking."

"Time travel?" Giles asked hesitantly. "Do you know how dangerous that is, Willow?"

"I do, and I didn't change anything because I know the consequences are never-ending. When we were attacked two weeks ago, I went forwards instead of back and the world was not the same. It was in eternal darkness, Nereza playing herself off as a Goddess, hundreds of thousands of demons of all types roamed the earth. It was theirs, not ours. We—we were all dead and no humans had survived the purge once Nereza released them all. I—"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kennedy asked her and she sighed deeply. "Willow, you should've told us."

"I didn't because I found a way to stop it from happening and I knew if any of you knew, you'd try to stop me from doing exactly what had to be done. When we were attacked again, when I disappeared from the car before we got back to the hotel, I grabbed the scythe and used the spell to travel back to a time before the demon had devoured the true Goddess Nereza, their powers combining in a great force that lie dormant for many years, the powers slowly growing beyond the lengths of what she has—or had, however. I knew after I'd seen Nereza in the future, that we wouldn't be able to fight her, not as an extremely powerful demon with the powers of the Goddess and a Hell God combined, but I knew we could use the scythe to kill the Goddess before the demon got to her."

"Where did they go?" Dean asked. "Or should I be asking when?"

"Early eighteenth century," Willow replied. "Ended up here, or where here was before the Council bought the land and built the compound."

"What?" Dawn yelled out as she got to her feet. "You send my sister _and_ Faith back to the early eighteenth century? Are you out of your mind, Willow?"

"The scythe is there, all the necessary steps in place to make sure that Buffy is given it. It was a very meticulous process, convincing that old man to pass on the story throughout his generations to ensure this would be was hard enough as it was. See, his great-granddaughter, from our time, was sent back there during a blast shortly after the Hellmouth in Sunnydale imploded. It is her who will ensure that Buffy gets the scythe and that she and Faith return home once they've killed the Goddess."

"Willow, just how much time-jumping have you done? Why haven't you told anyone?" Kennedy asked, her hands shaking as she stared at the witch. "I had no idea any of this was happening."

"I've been around," Willow replied quietly and Sam looked at Dean, both of them unsure how to take all of this in. "The only thing that I have purposely changed is the fact that the scythe is where it needs to be. It was the ripple in the fabric of time that sent them there."

"Which would only be caused by a catastrophic event," Giles clarified. "One we must determine if we are to understand what sent them there."

_"I kissed her," Faith muttered as she shrugged him arm away. "I kissed her. Don't even know why, just did, you know? And then after I took out a demon from the balcony, she frigging kissed me!"_

_"And that's bad?"_

_"Catastrophic!"_

_"Aren't you being a little over-dramatic about a couple of kisses here, Faith?"_

_"It's Buffy."_

Dean remembered that conversation clear as day and slowly all the pieces started to fall together, started to make a little bit more sense. He'd seen them outside earlier and there was no telling what happened after he'd come back inside.

"Why didn't you change anything else?" Dawn asked her as everyone started chattering amongst themselves, speculating all the things that could've been changed through this spell Willow had been using behind everyone's back. "You could have saved Sunnydale, Willow!"

"It's not as simple as that, Dawnie. Do you think I didn't want that? Do you think I didn't want to go back and save Tara too? Your mom?"

"But why this? Why now?"

"I know why it was them," Dean said quietly and Sam looked at him pointedly. "I know why it had to be Faith and Buffy," he said louder and slowly all eyes in the room turned to him, voices quieting down to dead silence. "You said in order for them to have been sent to where they are now, it would have to be caused by a catastrophic event, right? Would true love fall into that category, by any chance?"

"Why would true love be catastrophic?" One of the girls asked.

"Have you met Buffy and Faith?" Dawn laughed. "Their history alone is enough to send the world spinning off its axel! There's no way there's any bit of true love between them, maybe true lust if that."

"I think they came to realizing it tonight," Dean said and he ignored Sam's shake of his head, warning him to stop. "Faith told me when they kissed during the first demon attack at the hotel that it was catastrophic. It's something that she felt wasn't meant to happen and when it did, it sent the world off into twisted tangents. If they—"

"Consummated under the guise of true love, ah yes, the Goddess did have the power to consume and control two souls for her own purpose, there's no reason why she wouldn't have seen the future herself and taken measures to ensure her death by the slayer scythe and not the demon we've recently encountered," Giles said quickly, quietly. "The earthquake-like sensation we experienced before everything slipped away for the briefest of moments, that was when they were sent back, wasn't it?"

Willow nodded her head slowly as the power flickered before turning back on. "The Goddess had the power to travel through time, but as her powers began to fade, she found the only way she could ensure the world would be safe was to leave the spell where I would find it, let me figure it out in and through time, quite literally. It wouldn't have worked if the demon posing as Nereza hadn't shown up when she did at the time of uh—well, you know," she said, a deep blush covering her cheeks before she buried her face into her hands.

"How are they going to get back, Wil?" Dawn asked, her voice shaking as it was all too clear she was afraid she'd never see her sister again. "Willow? How are they going to get back to us?"

"It is no coincidence that this woman, Bernice Woodley was sent back to that time. She is a witch, a powerful one, yet she does not realize she has the power of the old ones flowing through her very bloodline," Willow replied. "I left the spell for them so that once the Goddess is killed, with Bernice's help, they'll all return home where they belong, to their own time."

"If our worlds hadn't collided, none of this would be happening, none of this would even be possible, right?" Sam asked and Willow nodded slowly. "Is there a way you can pull our worlds apart? Make things the way they used to be?"

"If Buffy and Faith can kill the Goddess, it'll create a much bigger ripple than any of us will be prepared for, but I can say that there is a chance that our worlds will go back to the way that it used to be. Maybe it'll end up better, for all of us. Maybe it won't. We just have to hope for the best and wait and see what happens next."

Dean sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. Oh yeah, they were all definitely in over their heads now more than ever.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Faith read and re-read the letter Willow had written to Buffy over and over again. They were here to change their future and possibly more than just that. All they had to do was locate the Goddess, kill her with the scythe and then get Bernie to do a spell that would take the three of them back to their own time. It all seemed too simple written down, to have it all play out the way it was meant to was another thing entirely.

Only Bernie had no idea what Faith was talking about, muttering on and on about magic being nonsense and that if she was a witch, she would've known it long before then. Buffy had been resting since Faith stitched her up the night before and now with the sun shining through the grimy windows, she still hadn't stirred.

"She gonna be all right?" Bernie asked quietly as she sat at the table with Faith. She had a small knife and was slowly peeling a dozen small potatoes. "She hasn't moved a muscle since last night."

"She'll be fine," Faith replied softly, her eyes drifting up from the letter and over to where Buffy was sleeping on the cot. "She's a Slayer, Bernie, she'll bounce back in no time. She just needs to rest, that's all."

Faith looked back down at the letter, the down to the specific instructions not to change a thing that would affect the future, the only reason and purpose they had there was to kill the Goddess, story. End of.

Bernie and Faith had been up all night, neither resting since there wasn't really anywhere for either of them to sleep. Yet, Faith wasn't tired and Bernie had been far too interested to hear all about her life to sleep, and Faith had told her all about Slayers, demons and vampires and all the rest about the world she had lived in and had no idea that the things in nightmares really truly existed. The woman was intrigued about the notion that Willow had called her a powerful witch, that it was in her very bloodline that she was a descendent of the old ones. Not even Faith could explain what that meant, she didn't understand it herself, but she hoped that once all was said and done and they were back home, that these things could be further explained, not just to Bernie, but to her and Buffy as well.

"This place," Faith said as she looked around the small cottage. "You said it's been in your family for a few hundred years?"

"Since my fifth great-grandpappy came over here from England in 1736, just a young scrap of a boy, here with other orphans that hailed from London," she replied and she sighed heavily. "Much of my family history has been passed on, generation through generation, but my mother's mother didn't pass it on as she should. I found out after she passed, the true history of my family. I never wanted to believe it, always believing it was lies, a story, make-believe."

Bernie sighed as she placed her knife and the potato she'd started to peel down on the table. "I read of witchcraft, of demons and other dark things. My mother took the old family journal from me before I could read anymore. I was barely twelve years old when I'd found it. She told me it was all lies, nothing more than a story made up to foolishly pass down throughout generations of a dysfunctional family, painting the untruest of histories to further degrade us for what was done in the past and to remind us of what our futures held and that they would be bleak, just as the lives of our ancestors were."

"You don't believe that, do you?"

"Not anymore," Bernie replied. "I met him during the warmer months. He had no idea I'd been staying in the stablehand's cottage for months. I told him who I was, knowing how crazy it all must have sounded to him, but he believed me, girl, he believed everything I said to him, about myself, my family, and the future."

"You met your fifth great-grandpappy?" Faith asked in disbelief. "What sort of things did you tell him?"

"Some of what I just told you," Bernie replied. "And he didn't once accuse me of lying, of blasphemy or being sent here as the devil in disguise. My family has never been religious, we've no reason to worship and believe in a God who doesn't exist."

"Bernie, do you realize what you've done?" Faith asked her quietly. "You've already altered the future in ways you don't realize it. Willow was very specific in not doing exactly what you've done."

"You mean the things about witches and demons and other dark things? Things that I read in the journal that he possibly had written?" Bernie asked and she rose from the bench seat and shook her head. "No, that cannot be, can it?"

"There are a lot of things we don't understand about time travel and altering life that affects the future, but there's always consequences, Bernie, always. Have you seen him since?"

"No I—ah, agreed to keep to myself, only returning to the main property when in need of food and supplies and only ever in the dead of night. His wife and son do not know I am living here in the old stablehand's home."

"We need to figure out how to find this Goddess, track her down and kill her as we've been instructed to," Faith said and she looked at the letter again, flipping it over to reveal a map of an unknown location, supposedly close to where they were now. "Any of this look familiar to you, Bernie?"

"I don't know," she replied, not looking at the map. "I didn't travel too much during the warmer months and—"

"Is there a river nearby?" Faith cut her off, feeling her anger and frustration building, bubbling under her skin. "Come on, Bernie, work with me here, will ya?"

"Yes," she nodded slowly. "A few miles south."

"Look at the map again," Faith said as she slid the letter across the wooden table until it was right in front of where Bernie was pacing. "Look at the goddamn map, Bernie! The more time we sit here, the longer we're gonna be stuck here. You might be perfectly fine with being stuck in this time, but none of us _belong_ here!"

Bernie trembled at the anger in Faith's voice and she snatched up the letter and examined the map closely. It wasn't in excruciating detail, but provided a somewhat topographic location where they'd be able to find the Goddess in hiding. Bernie placed the letter on the table and rushed over to the crooked bookshelf, flinging through the thin books until she pulled out a rolled up map. She cleared the table and she unrolled it as Faith grabbed the letter and tried to match the location.

"I believe we are here," Bernie said as she pointed to a location on the map. "The river runs along this way," she said, trailing her fingers over the blue line drawn down one side of the map.

"What are these?" Faith asked, pointing to brown lines that seemed to be out of place from the rest of the map.

"Trails. Horse trails I believe," Bernie replied. "The stablehand that lived here before I arrived likely mapped out the land."

"Where is he now?"

"Dead," Bernie replied tonelessly. "Found him hung by a rope strung from the big tree out back. Killed himself it seemed."

Faith nodded wordlessly as she moved the letter around the map, trying to line it up. She turned it different ways, never quite finding the spot until she noticed an empty area near the bottom of the map.

"What's that?"

"A field, perhaps?" Bernie replied with a shrug. "I do not know for I have not travelled down that way."

"What's going on?" Buffy asked sleepily as she sat up on the cot and threw off the wool blanket from her. "How long have I been asleep?"

"All night, B," Faith replied as she looked over at her. "How you feeling?"

"Much better. Hungry, though," she said as she slowly got up from the cot and ran her finger over the seven stitches in her leg. "It's almost healed right up."

"Incredible," Bernie said as she walked over to her and knelt on the floor to closely examine the wound on her thigh. "Simply incredible. Do you always heal this quickly?"

"Most slayers do," Faith replied and she ran a hand through her hair, staring at the blank spot on the map. "B, come here. What do you make of this?"

Buffy made her way over to the table and looked down at where Faith was pointing. She looked over at her, confused. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"I think I know where the Goddess is hiding."

* * *

It took them a few hours to decide what they were going to do and Faith didn't want to be stuck there for any longer than they needed to be. After putting on clothes that Bernie had given them on top of their own, she and Buffy headed out in search for the trail that would lead them down to the empty spot on the map, the spot that was complete with the map drawn on the back of Willow's letter.

"At least the snow melted some," Faith said as they trekked through the ankle deep snow. "Would've been harder than it was last night."

"What else did Bernie tell you?" Buffy asked as she kept one hand on the scythe that was strapped around her back.

"Nothing else I haven't already told you, B."

"This all feels like a dream, a really bad dream."

"I know," Faith frowned and she looked around, seeing the land dip down just off in the distance, the line of trees indicating that they were close to the small river than ran south. "It'll be over soon."

"I hope so. Willow has a _lot_ of explaining to do!"

Faith chuckled and nodded her head. "Yeah, she does and I got a feeling she's got more to explain than we can even imagine right now."

"What do you mean?"

"You figure if we kill this Goddess, we change our future, right? What else is gonna change, B? What else _can_ be changed?" Faith wondered. "One event in the past is changed and the whole future is altered. Wonder if Willow can send me back."

"Back where?"

Faith shrugged, not wanting to think about it and not sure why she was talking about it. It'd been one of the many things that had crossed her mind since reading Willow's letter.

"Back where, Faith?"

"To Boston," she relented, sighing heavily. "To the day when Kakistos killed my Watcher. I feel like—like I could save her, you know and our paths might never have crossed and I wouldn't have ruined your life when I was in Sunnydale."

"You never ruined my life, Faith. You just made it…difficult."

"Whatever, B, you get what I'm saying though right?"

"That maybe it'd be better if we never knew each other at all? That maybe it would've been better if our paths never crossed?"

"Wouldn't be in this sitch right now, would we?"

"You don't know that."

"Tell me you ain't been thinking about finding a way to save your mom, B. About saving Tara, Sunnydale, maybe even go far back and saving Angel and Spike from becoming who—no, _what_ they are now."

Buffy was shaking and it wasn't from the cold and Faith knew she'd crossed a line. But she also knew she was right. Buffy _was_ thinking those things and she wasn't in denial about any of it.

"Life happens for a reason, Faith," she said after a few minutes of heavy silence as they walked through the soft snow. "Everything that has happened in life is all for a reason, all a part of some bigger plan. My mom, Tara? They died because it was their time, no matter how much we all wish that they were still here with us. Angel and Spike? They became who they were destined to become, both heroes and Champions in their own right. Yeah, I've been thinking about how life would be different if we saved them all, if we saved Sunnydale somehow, but you know something, Faith? Even if we _can_ change it, I wouldn't want to."

"Why, Buffy? Your life could be a lot better than it is right now!"

"You don't know that!" Buffy yelled at her, stopping in her tracks and she reached out and slapped Faith hard across the face. "You're pretty blind, aren't you, Faith?"

"What the hell are you going on about now? I'm not blind, I can see everything, maybe more than you can—"

"I don't want anything to be different," Buffy yelled at her as she stepped closer, their faces inches apart. "What happened between us last night? I wouldn't want it to be any other way. Don't you get that? We weren't just—god, it meant something to me, okay? I'll admit that and it changed my whole world, turned it from being upside down to it being upright again."

"Being stuck here made it upright?" Faith asked, confused as she watched the tears build up in Buffy's eyes. "B, what—"

"You, you idiot!" Buffy sobbed and she shoved Faith away from her hard. "Being with you changed things and no, I wouldn't go back and change one thing about my life because that means I'll lose a piece of me, always feel like there's a part of me missing. You," Buffy said as she grit her teeth and clenched her fists at her side, breathing heavily as she stared at Faith. "You are a part of me, the other half of my soul, Faith. Don't you get that? You've always known it, too, haven't you? Always felt it, denied it, just like I have all this time. Last night was—"

"A catastrophic event that brought us _here_, Buffy."

"You ever ask yourself _why_?"

"Fuck, I don't know why, all right!" Faith yelled at her. "Nothing about this whole situation makes any fucking sense!"

"Because I think the Goddess wants us to kill her and this time, this place, here and now, is the only chance we have to do it. You asked me when we were together if it was us or if it was the Goddess making us be together," Buffy said and she was trembling as she spoke. "Maybe it was both us and her? Maybe all it took was a little push from her to bring us together? Maybe she'd been waiting for a long time and the only time she could reach out to us was when you showed up in Cleveland two weeks ago. Have you ever thought about that? Huh?"

"What are you saying? That all of this is _my_ fault?"

"Remember what Sam said? Nereza is a Goddess of Love, she feeds on the essence of true love," Buffy said quietly and Faith nodded her head slowly, afraid of what Buffy would say next, not knowing if she wanted to run or stay. "I'm not blaming you, but that Grappler demon attack the first night you showed up? It didn't happen until after we'd seen each other and again on a larger scale after I'd shown up. And last week, while we were at the club? Full-scale attack that ended up with us at the compound."

"B, maybe we should just hold off on trying to figure all this out for ourselves and just find this Goddess, alright? There's no way we're gonna get all the answers that we're looking for right now when we don't even have a frigging clue what the hell it meant between us last—"

Buffy stopped her and yanked her close, her lips capturing Faith's in a heated and intense kiss. It was brief, but it drove the point home, right to the depths of Faith's soul where she felt it hit the hardest.

Buffy groaned loudly as she pushed Faith away from her and continued walking through the snowy field towards the river. Faith felt stunned as she stood there, watching Buffy walk away from her in a huff. Shaking it off, she caught up to Buffy and grabbed her arm, stopping her from walking away from her.

"What did it mean, B?"

"Did you not hear what I said before?"

"I did, but—"

"God, you can't even handle this, can you? That's just so typical of you, Faith."

Storming off, Buffy picked up her pace as she walked down the hill towards the trees with Faith trailing right behind her, feeling like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place and floating on cloud nine all at the same time.

"Buffy—"

"Let's just go and find her, okay, Faith?" Buffy said with her back still to her, her voice sounding broken and Faith knew more than one line had been crossed in the short time they'd been walking alone together. "Let's go and find Nereza and kill her so we can go back home and you can go back to whatever life you want, be it with us in Cleveland or with Dean Winchester. I don't care anymore. You obviously don't. Then again, maybe you never did, huh? You were the one who left. Maybe…maybe you should've never come back."

Faith felt deflated, her heart felt like it was breaking as Buffy's words tumbled brokenly past her lips. She fell silent as she let Buffy take the lead, keeping a few feet between them, her mind racing, her heart pleading, her soul reaching. It was overwhelming and she knew that what had just transpired between them could've waited until they were back in their own time, instead of further confusing them both. Faith laughed bitterly, nothing had really changed between them. They still couldn't just talk to each other without their words falling on deaf ears, words feeling like they meant nothing or everything all at once.

Buffy had broken her heart before without even knowing it. Faith wasn't sure she could handle having it happen again since she slipped off into a dark place, a place she didn't want to ever have to go back to again.

They walked for another hour without speaking and when they approached the area that was blank on the map Bernie had shown them, Faith felt something change, a shift in the air, a buzz that blew through her as she came to a sudden stop just as Buffy did.

"You feel that?" Faith whispered quietly as she looked all around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. "That's magic, ain't it?"

"Oh yeah, very strong magic," Buffy whispered back and she pulled the scythe from the strap and gripped it tight. "Come on," she said as she motioned Faith to follow her towards a thick grove of pine trees, both of them feeling the flow of magic increase with every step that they took.

The further they walked in the grove of pine trees, the air around them became warmer and although it had been overcast, there was a light, a warmth, as if the sun had suddenly decided to come out and shine down on them.

"Ah, the Slayers," a voice sung out as the grove of trees suddenly opened up into a small opening, not a single bit of snow anywhere, the grass green, the sun and the air warm, like a beautiful summer afternoon. "I knew you would come."

"Who's there?" Buffy called out. "Nereza?"

"Yes," the voice sang out again and she appeared slowly, materializing just a few feet away from where they stood. "Hello, Buffy," she smiled and she turned to Faith, smiling wider as she reached for her hand. "Hello, Faith. I have been expecting you both for quite a long, long time."

"Then you know why we're here."

"Of course I do, Buffy, I was the one who had sent Willow very specific instructions," she smiled warmly. "Come," she motioned as she moved to sit on the long, soft grass. "I trust you have many questions that you seek the answers to and I will answer all that I can. I could feel the passion flowing through you, through the connection you two share as you searched for me. It made me feel so alive, but not nearly as alive as I felt last night when you finally took that step that would make my wish for death come to pass."

Buffy still gripped on to the scythe tightly and Faith moved to sit across from the Goddess on the grass, pulling off the extra layer of clothes as she tilted her head up to feel the warm of the sun on her face. Faith didn't get any bad vibes as she sat near her and she glanced over at Buffy, motioning for her to sit down.

"How is all of this possible?" Buffy asked as she sat down next to Faith and placed the scythe between them. "It's more than magic, isn't it?"

"I am a Goddess, yet not of your world, but all fate, all destiny is intertwined throughout all dimensions, through all worlds that exist, that had and that will in the future. I too had thought my own destiny had been written in stone, destined to be consumed by a demon who would use my own essence for the power of evil, not of the greater good as I always have done," she said, her voice sounding etherial, almost as if she was singing each word. "True love is more powerful that most magic and I have spent thousands of years finding those who are meant to be together and bringing them together, changing their world, creating that one event that causes them to meet."

Faith looked over at Buffy, a warm feeling growing in the depths of her soul, wrapping around it as if it was holding it in a warm embrace. When Buffy smiled at her, she felt it grow stronger.

"The demon who ended me caused a chain of events in my world that tragically ended it before the demon found a way to crossover into yours. It took a catastrophic event, one which caused two worlds to collide with a fraction of my own. An event that was started by you in Sunny—"

"We know this already," Faith said patiently. "Can you tell us why you need us to be here to kill you? Can't we just kill the demon who is uh, kind of you?"

"This demon may have taken on my form, but it is not me," Nereza replied. "And you cannot kill this demon, for it would kill you in the blink of an eye as soon as the scythe is near. It'll suck the essence from the scythe and it would cause a chain reaction. One by one, every slayer in the world with fall to their deaths in an instant. I brought you here so you can stop this demon from finding me, from consuming me, killing me and destroying my world and ultimately yours as well and the other one."

"I'm not understanding this," Buffy whispered. "Why would Faith and I being together bring us here?"

"I believe you know my power feeds off the essence of true love. Such power was needed for me to cause the ripple in time to bring you here."

"And Willow? She's a big part of this too, isn't she?"

"She is a major key. A little bit of magic, a simple skip ahead in time for just moments allowed me to leave her the spell that would bring her back to me, giving me a chance to tell her, to show her of the things that would come. There was only ever one condition I had with her, that she use the spell only to benefit my death at the hands of one of you with the scythe."

"So, let me get this straight, Nereza," Faith said, smirking as she leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. "Me and B, cos we fucked last night, it ended up being that catastrophic event you needed to happen? Was that you? Or was that us?"

"The only hand I had in this was pushing you together the first time. That kiss you felt was out of nowhere during the first attack? The one you didn't understand why you did it? That was the only push you two needed, the only one that would set the rest off all in due time. And not all things catastrophic are of the bad. That specific event was meant to lead you here to end me once and for all and you will change the future of three worlds, all for the greater good, keeping the balance that is needed equal."

"It's true then, isn't it?" Buffy asked her. "We're really two halves of one soul."

"Yes and not because you two are Slayers, the last of the Original ones, but because this was predestined long before even your oldest ancestors were conceived," the Goddess smiled and she looked down at the scythe. "It is such an impressive and powerful weapon, isn't it not? For centuries it was hidden for it was only meant to be found by you, Buffy. Not just for the purpose of fighting the First Evil, but for this moment."

Nereza rose to her feet, floating just inches above the soft grass and the sun seemed to shine brighter as she opened her arms slowly. "The rest of the answers you seek will come in time, but now, Slayer, it is time to do what else you were destined for, to kill me and preserve the power of true love inside the scythe along with the essence of the Slayer. This weapon will be more powerful than any object in your world and it will be, until the end of time, assuring all those who are meant to be, will always find their way to one another."

"If we do this, what changes?" Buffy asked as she rose to her feet, grabbing the scythe and holding it tight. "What changes, Nereza?"

"Everything," she whispers and she closes her eyes. "I am ready. I have been ready for a long time."

"Well, I'm not," Faith said as she held the scythe, preventing Buffy from striking out. "Willow said Bernie could get us home, but that woman is not a witch."

"She will be," Nereza smiled. "She will be once I am gone for her true love doesn't lie in the soul of another human, but in the essence that is inside of my own soul. She will not return to your time with you, but she must not know that for her path here is far more important. She will be the sole reason your friend Willow exists. Without her, there will never be a Willow Rosenberg and your entire life from the moment you arrived in Sunnydale would have been far different," she paused and looked at Buffy, frowning slightly. "If Willow doesn't exist, your friendship with Xander wouldn't either and you would have died at the hands of the Master instead of being revived by your dear friend."

"Everything is connected," Buffy whispered under her breath heavily. "And Faith? Why her if our connection isn't because we're slayers?"

"Because she, over all others, will understand you in ways no one else can," Nereza replied. "Because Faith has overcome many hurdles in her life, her strength equally matches that of your own, but in many other different ways and forms. True love does not simply mean you have to be together for the rest of your lives in the sense of lovers, but perhaps friends if that is what you wish."

"It's cos I'm a chick?" Faith asked Buffy, who stared at her wide eyed. "That's why we can never be together, cos I'm a chick right? You only drive stick."

"As demonstrated last night, no, Faith, I don't only drive stick," she chuckled and she lowered the scythe slowly, coming to rest at her side, Faith's hand still on top of hers, gripping it tight. "What else will change when we kill you?"

"Life is but an adventure and anything in the world is possible. Once I die, you have a small window to return to Bernice and return to where you belong. You must be quick and you must not allow her to follow you back to your time. Now," the Goddess said as Buffy and Faith raised the scythe again. "I am ready."

"Are you?" Faith asked Buffy and she slowly nodded her head. "Alright, let's do this. Nereza, been nice uh, briefly knowing ya."

"Wait," Buffy cried out, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "Will we—if our world, our future changes, will we remember any of this?"

"Only what you must, only what matters most in the moment."

Faith closed her eyes as they rose the scythe high together, moving the last few steps towards the Goddess before they brought the scythe down, hard and fast. A blinding white light threw them backwards and all went dark around them, the cold returning in a flash, snow now beneath them as they lay there, hearts racing, breaths gasping.

"Come on," Faith said as she grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her to her feet. "We gotta go, B."

"Faith—"

"Come on, you heard what she said. We don't got a whole lot of time! We gotta get back to Bernie, get her to do that spell that sends us back!" Faith urged, pleading with Buffy to move with her as she pulled her in the direction they had come. "B, Buffy, come on."

Buffy looked back at where the Goddess had last stood. Not a single trace that she had been there remained. Gripping on to the scythe, she fought back her tears, smiling at Faith before they took off running through the snow as quickly as they could. They had their lives to get back to, a life neither knew what would hold, what would be different, what would be the same.

Faith's life had already changed, it'd been changing since the day she met Buffy and it was always changing, always evolving, whether she took her steps forwards or backwards, she was always led right back to _her_.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Did any of that make any sense to you, B?" Faith asked as they moved quickly, following their footsteps back to the cabin. "Cos I'm feeling all sorts of confused here right now!"

"No, it didn't make a whole lot of sense and it did," Buffy replied, panting heavily as she limped along, her leg obviously causing her some distress. "Stitches opened up," she gasped as she held a hand over the borrowed pair of cotton pants, the blood slowly seeping through. "Faith, nothing in our world makes sense. Vampires and demons and magic, alternate universes? None of that seems like it should be real, that is should even exist and yet it does."

Faith slipped an arm around Buffy, holding some of her weight off her leg as they kept moving. "That everything is connected, even events that haven't happened and those that have?"

"Andrew would understand this a lot better than us."

"Right," Faith chuckled. "Xander and Giles too, but maybe not as much as good old Andy-boy, sci-fi geek extraordinaire."

"The time travel and magic and worlds colliding, destinies and souls connected stuff is totally out of our league, Faith."

"You're telling me. Still trying to wrap my head around what Nereza said."

"What part?"

"What part? All of it, B!" Faith said incredulously. "When we get back, I seriously need one frigging strong drink."

"Or ten," Buffy agreed. "So, it's a date?"

"Are you for real?" Faith laughed and she quieted as Buffy just stared at her. "Holy shit, you are for real about this, B! You heard what she said, just cos we're two halves of one soul doesn't mean we—"

"But you want to, don't you?"

"Can we talk about this after we get back, B? This is a pretty frigging heavy conversation and I don't think now is the time to have it."

"But," Buffy sighed as they slowed down a little, "what if this is the only chance we have, Faith? To talk about this? To finally figure us out?"

"I promise you that this won't be the only chance we have, B, okay?" Faith said and she kissed the side of Buffy's head before continuing on.

Despite their current situation, Faith had never felt so happy in her life. Words couldn't quite describe the feeling she felt inside and that feeling just kept on growing stronger and bigger with every passing minute. Along with her happiness, she could feel the fear, the unknown that they would be going back to, the thoughts that everything she wanted in her life—not including Buffy—she would have. Her Watcher in Boston still alive, her mother alive and sober, her father still around and in her life, everything she always wanted it to be, something better than what it had been and all that she knew. If that happened, she would feel empty, lost, because Buffy wouldn't be a part of that life she had dreamt of having.

If that happened, if this one incident changed _everything_ right from the beginning, would Buffy still have her mother? Would Willow still have Tara? Would Sunnydale still be there and not just a huge crater in the ground? Breathing out harshly, Faith tried to push that all away and just embrace the happiness that flooded through her heart and let it drown out all the fear that filled her mind.

As the cabin came into view, the sky beginning to darken, Faith shifted her arm around Buffy's waist and picked up the pace. The Goddess hadn't told them exactly how much time they had, how long that window was, and she had her fingers mentally crossed that they still had enough time for Bernie to prepare the spell and send them home.

"Goodness," Bernie said as she swung open the door. "Are you all right, child? What happened?"

"Stitches tore, I'll be fine," Buffy said quickly as they walked into the cabin and Bernie shut the door tight behind them. "Do you have everything?"

"Found all I needed," Bernie replied. "There's just one problem."

"What?" Faith asked as she sat Buffy down on the cot. "What's the problem, Bernie?"

"Magic. As in, I don't have any."

Buffy grinned as she tossed Faith the scythe and she turned to Bernie with a smile as she held it out towards her. "Here, hold this for a second."

"Why would I—oh, ooh!" Bernie gasped out in surprise, the scythe glowing the second Faith took her hand away. "Oh my!"

"So," Faith grinned as Bernie dropped the scythe to the floor, the light radiation throughout her body before it disappeared. "You were saying?"

"This is impossible, this—"

"We don't have a lot of time," Faith said and she noticed that all the ingredients Willow had listed for the spell were carefully laid out in a circle around a small golden bowl that held a clear orb. "There's something you need to know before we do this spell, Bernie."

"I must stay," she stated simply, nodding her head as she rubbed her hands together. "I suppose things could be worse. I hope the future you've changed makes your world a better place, for both of you and everyone else."

"If there's something we can do for you," Faith started as Buffy stood up from the cot and joined her at her side, their hands easily slipping together, fingers intertwining instantly. "Anything, Bernie, just say the word and we'll make sure it is done."

"No need, Faith," Bernie said quietly as she held Willow's letter, the three of them standing around the circle on the floor. "Whatever would need to be said, it's been done and said already, hasn't it? No need to burden you with messages to pass on to those who have already received them."

"I _really_ don't understand this time travel stuff," Buffy muttered under her breath and Faith chuckled as she looked over at her. "Are you ready?"

"Can't wait to get home, B."

"Me neither," she smiled and it faltered. "Are you scared?"

"Frigging terrified," Faith whispered. "But I feel happy too. Crazy, ain't it?"

"Very."

"Girls, please step inside the circle and wait until the orb is glowing before you pick it up. The instructions are clear you must touch it at the exact same time together."

Faith nodded, reaching for the scythe and helping Buffy strap it to her back. Bernie started mumbling the Latin that was scrawled on the page, fumbling through the first couple of lines before she found her footing, reciting each word with ease. Buffy squeezed Faith's hand tightly, tears in her eyes. Faith smiled as she leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips, lingering for a moment as she felt Buffy's tears fall.

"See you on the other side, yeah?"

"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "On the other side. Home. Where we belong."

"Pick up the orb!" Bernie shouted as blue smoke began to fill the cabin, crackling lightning sizzling through, coming from her fingertips. "Pick up the orb together, now!"

Faith inhaled sharply as she and Buffy reached for the orb, both of them watching as their hands reached out and touched it together. Faith looked up at Buffy, both of them smiling and then their world went black.

* * *

Dean was pacing the living room, listening to Willow try for the hundredth time to explain what was happening. None of it made any sense, but she said it wasn't supposed to and that things were changing, that change was right around the corner and would be there at any given moment. Dean turned to Sam as Sam laid a hand on his shoulder and they both let out a small smile.

"What do you think is gonna happen?"

"Don't know," Sam shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see, right?"

"Right," Dean nodded and he looked back at the others and a very tired, frustrated Willow as Andrew asked her questions she had already answered dozens of times already. "If what she says is actually happening, do ya think we're gonna, I dunno, be knocked on our asses and wake up somewhere and not know where we are or who we are?"

"I don't know, Dean. I don't think any of us do, not even Willow. The fate of our lives, of the future, it all rests on Buffy and Faith right now. As long as they kill the Goddess, then all of this would have been worth it."

"Will it? Who will it be worth it for? Them?"

"She's a part of their world, Dean. Don't you want that for her?" Sam asked, not daring to mention Faith's name, not with the others within earshot. "She came into your life—our life for a reason and as it stands, we might never know what that reason is. Can you live with that?"

Dean thought about it for a moment before nodding his head yes. As much as he couldn't imagine a life without Faith in it and the adventures they had together, the good and the bad and everything in between, he knew he'd never have her heart, not when she belonged in her own world and her heart was with Buffy.

What he didn't want was to lose her completely and nobody knew what would happen, if things would stay exactly how they've been, just without the demon posing as the Goddess to gain possession of the scythe to put an end to their world, or if it would be drastically different. To Dean, that meant anything, from his mother never being killed by the yellow eyed demon, to him growing up with his whole family, never knowing what the world was really like, growing up not to be a hunter, but as who knew what else.

"How much longer?" Kennedy asked as she sat beside Willow, acting as her tether, her moderator, telling off some of the girls who continuously bombarded her with questions. "Willow, do you know?"

"I can feel it happening," she moaned quietly as she closed her eyes. "I can feel things changing, magic growing stronger, evil slipping."

"Are you all right?" Giles asked and Willow nodded slowly, smiling up at him as her whole body tensed. "Are you sure?"

"It's happening, Giles, I can see it," she said, wincing as she kept her eyes shut tight. "Oh, it's happening."

Sam squeezed Dean's shoulder, both of them holding their breath, not sure what would happen next. The ground started to rumble slowly, a soft blue light began to fill the air all around them and gradually it became to bright, so blinding, they couldn't see each other, only hear.

"What is happening?" Someone screamed out, panic quickly flooding through the room.

"I can't see!"

"Willow!" Kennedy yelled. "Hold on, baby! Hold on!"

"Dean?" Sam grunted as he kept a strong grip on Dean's shoulder, his other hand reaching to hold on to his arm. "What's happening?"

"Hold on, Sammy."

"Dean—"

* * *

Faith landed hard on the ground, the air almost knocked out of her as she struggled to catch her breath. She was still holding on to Buffy's hand and as she opened her eyes and looked at her, she felt a wave of relief wash over her to see that she was there with her and that she was okay.

"Are we back?" Buffy whispered, neither of them moving from where they lay in the darkness. "Do you think it worked?"

"Beats me," Faith sighed softly. "How's your leg?"

"I uh," Buffy sat up slowly and reached down to touch her wounded leg. "I think it's stopped bleeding."

Faith sat up slowly, her breathing coming around back to normal as she took in her surroundings. It seemed only faintly familiar, the only thing familiar being the big tree that had been behind the cabin. Staying calm, Faith relaxed and allowed her vision to adjust to the sudden darkness. Under the layer of snow, she could make out what was left of a foundation and her heart sunk a little.

"I think we're where the cabin used to be," she said quietly and she stood up and helped Buffy to her feet. "I guess that means we're back?"

Faith wasn't sure and she wasn't sure which way to go, all sense of direction lost in the darkness. Choosing a direction in hopes of coming along a road or a house, Faith started off, her arm around Buffy as she leaned against her, stumbling as she tried to keep her weight off her wounded leg. They were silent, but the echo of a thousand thoughts between them reverberated through each other. Faith couldn't help but feel just a little disappointed. What did she think was going to happen? That they'd return to their own time and the whole world would be different?

"What was I thinking?" Faith muttered under her breath and she felt Buffy squeeze her a little. "What?"

"What were you thinking about what?"

"I dunno, kind of thought maybe we'd come back to a completely different life or something."

"Is that what you want?"

Faith shook her head no. "No, my life is what it is, B. I've made peace with that a long time ago. No sense in wishing for things that'll never come true."

Buffy didn't say a word, just nodded her head and they continued on through the snowy field. Faith wasn't sure how long they walked for until they finally came across a narrow two-lane road. As a yellow pick-up drove past them quickly, Faith groaned as she pulled Buffy out of the bank of snow and onto the road.

"Which way you wanna try?" Faith asked her as they stood there. "Ya recognize the road, B?"

"Let's go right. Going right seems to be the right way," Buffy grinned, both chuckling as they turned right and walked down the shoulder of the road. "Do you think it made a difference? Killing her?"

"After she went through all that trouble to get us back to whatever the hell year it was? Yeah, it damn well better have made a difference."

"Bernie said it was the late 1700's," Buffy replied quietly. "How do we even know that was true?"

"We don't. Look," Faith said as she held Buffy close to her, making sure Buffy kept up a good speed that didn't put any strain on her wounded leg. "There's a lot we don't know and a lot we're probably not ever gonna know. No sense in trying to figure it out until we get back to the compound."

"I know where we are," Buffy said as she looked around, nothing but trees and snow and a mile of road ahead and behind them. "We're not far."

"You sure?"

"We didn't always use the helicopter, Faith," Buffy said, her tone teasing. "When we made supply runs, we used to drive down this road. It took us to the highway that took us towards the city. We'd stop at this warehouse, stock up on food, clothes, whatever else we needed."

"Costco?"

"Yeah, I think so. I only was allowed to go on the very rarest of occasions. I kind of went overboard once."

"Only once?"

"Okay maybe twice."

Faith laughed and they continued on, the chill the night was bringing making her shiver. She stopped and pulled off the rest of the borrowed clothes, ditching them at the side of the road as Buffy did the same. The borrowed clothes were damp and not helping keep them warm in the least. Buffy kept the burlap jacket and wrapped it around the scythe tightly.

Buffy seemed to be walking better on her own and Faith didn't wrap her arm around her again like before as they started walking again. She pulled out her pack of cigarettes and quickly lit one, her lighter fighting against her and the wind for a minute before she was able to finally light the end. Faith wasn't sure how much longer after she'd smoked her cigarette right down the filter they'd been walking, but the honking horn approaching them from behind startled them both. Faith grabbed on to Buffy, pulling her out of the way of the speeding car as it sped past them, not even slowing down.

"Maybe walking on the side of the road isn't such a great idea," Buffy said as she easily slipped one arm around Faith's neck, the other still holding the scythe.

"What do ya suggest we do then, B? This road is our only shot at getting back to," _your life_, "everyone," she finished, her voice quiet. "We didn't walk too far before. Can't be that far now, yeah?"

"No, it's not much further," Buffy said with a shake of her head, unmoving from the close proximity she and Faith were standing holding on to each other.

"If I'm outta line…" Faith trailed off as she licked over her lips before kissing Buffy softly. Buffy shook her head no, both of them smiling as Buffy pulled her in for a much deeper kiss, tongues slipping easily past lips, devouring, caressing, consuming.

"Definitely not out of line," Buffy whispered against her lips.

"Good."

Buffy smiled, kissing her quickly once more before they continued walking down the road. Faith wasn't really sure what was happening, but it felt good to be able to just kiss Buffy because she wanted to, the need to driving her, warming her, filling her with a platitude of emotions she wasn't used to feeling.

Maybe Nereza had been right, they were two halves of one soul, because when she was close to Buffy, even just walking at her side, she felt complete, the emptiness inside she always felt, gone.

Being with Buffy, finally letting go, even if it had been catastrophic and caused the events they'd just lived through, it had been everything to her and she wouldn't hesitate for a second to experience it all over again. Only she wanted to be in a nice warm bed, soft sheets instead of a cold storage room in the training barn on top of some old mats. She wanted to take her time, explore, worship, devour every inch of Buffy and make her cum screaming her name and begging for more. That feeling alone was new to her. Buffy would never just be another notch in the bedpost. She was the final one and as Faith realized that, it overwhelmed her.

They turned down a gravel road in silence. Faith held on to Buffy and felt the arm around her hold her a little tighter. It wasn't long before they reached the gates at the end of the driveway at the former Watcher's Council retreat and she let go of Buffy long enough for her to punch in the code and the gates creaked open slowly, the metal whining against the dropping temperatures of the night.

It wasn't much more of a walk before they were finally in view of the compound and Buffy dropped her arm from around Faith as soon as the front doors flung open and Dawn came running out, throwing her arms around Buffy.

"Oh my god, where have you been, Buffy?"

"Buffy?" Willow said as she came out the front door. "Faith? Oh thank god you guys are okay!"

"You're hurt?" Dawn asked as she stepped back and looked over Buffy, noticing the tear in her jeans, the dried blood on her skin.

"I'm fine," Buffy replied quietly and she looked over Dawn's shoulder at Faith. "_We_ are both fine. Just cold and tired."

Faith hung back as Dawn and Buffy headed inside. She glanced over at where Dean had parked the Impala the night before and saw it still sitting there. Breathing a sigh of relief, she followed Buffy and Dawn inside and was instantly hugged by Dean once he'd pushed his way past the young slayers that had gathered in the foyer.

"Hey, Dean," Faith chuckled as she hugged him back, trying to keep it brief. "Take it you missed me?"

"Nah," he grinned as he stepped back. "Just happy you're okay."

"Same," Faith smiled back at him and she felt arms being thrown around her. Chuckling as she turned in Giles' arms, she hesitantly hugged him back, his actions surprising her. "What's with all the love?" Faith joked as Giles awkwardly stepped back and cleared his throat.

"As Dean just stated, I am just happy that you and Buffy are both okay and safe."

"Not to mention cold and in need of a shower."

"Of course," Giles smiled warmly. "There are things you and Buffy need to know—"

"Can it wait about an hour?" Faith asked him before he could continue. "Like I said. Cold and in need of a shower right now."

He nodded as she moved towards the stairs and followed Buffy as she too walked up the stairs, both of them alone as the others chattered excitedly about their safe return home.

Buffy grabbed on to Faith's hand, pulling her in close, their lips almost meeting before Faith stepped away, leaving Buffy frowning, confused as to why she'd stopped her. Faith just hooked a thumb over at the bathroom and Buffy nodded wordlessly before turning and heading down to her own room at the opposite end of the hallway.

* * *

"Someone has to tell them," Dawn said as she gathered in the kitchen with Giles, Xander and Willow. "We should've told them as soon as they came back."

"Dawnie, give it a little bit of time," Willow said gently. "We don't know what they've been through. Let them warm up and shower, maybe rest for tonight and we'll tell them in the morning."

"Willow, they need to know!"

"And they will," Willow said calmly. "We just have to figure out how to break the news to Buffy. There's no telling how she is going to react."

"To what?" Dean asked from where he lingered in the kitchen doorway. "To finding out the world has gone and changed on them?"

"Yes," Willow nodded in reply. "Killing the Goddess created a chain-reaction of events that have changed the world as we know it in small, subtle ways, but still very significant ways."

"Small? Subtle?" Dawn scoffed as all eyes turned on her as she held up the newspaper clipping they'd kept about Sunnydale's sudden collapse last year. It had changed, disappeared, replaced by another story completely unrelated to Sunnydale. "What the hell does this mean?"

"Dawnie—"

"This is not small, Willow!" Dawn said as Giles took the clipping from her, eyes wide and in shock. "What does this even mean? Does it mean what I think it means? Because this is not small, this is _huge_!"

"Dawn, we don't know for sure," Xander said as he took the clipping from Giles and he blinked. "Huh."

"Huh?" Dawn was in the middle of a breakdown, Dean could see it. He could see all of them unable to come to terms with what might possibly be happening. "Huh, what, Xander?"

He shook his head, blinking against before he reached for his eyepatch and pulled it off slowly. Even Dean let out a little gasp in shock as Xander blinked again with both eyes. Everyone immediately looked at Willow and she held her hands up.

"Even if it was possible with magic and science, there is no way I could've restored his eye. The damage was beyond repairable," she said quietly. "I think we need to find out what else is different. Ooh—"

Xander caught her before she fell to the floor as a sudden fainting spell hit her out of nowhere. Sam tapped Dean on the shoulder and he followed him down the hallway to the small study. The smell of dust and mildew clung in the air and the room hadn't been used in a long time. Sam shut the heavy door behind him as Dean took a look around the room, the smallest room he'd seen in the entire compound so far.

Sam walked over to the desk and sat down in the chair, the old leather creaking under his weight. He tapped on the keyboard and Dean walked over to stand beside him. On the screen, Dean saw Sam had pulled up several stories relating to Sunnydale and Sam pulled up one more link and tapped on the screen.

"Faith said it was a big crater in the ground, nothing left of the town, right?" Sam asked quietly and Dean nodded, having heard the story about Sunnydale and the battle inside the Hellmouth more than a few times from Faith. "This is from May, the twenty-first of last year. The only thing that happened in that town the day before was what they are describing as a freak accident, a meteor or something crashed into the school and took it out along with several houses nearby. Not the whole town, Dean, just a small part of it."

"That can't be right."

"No?" Sam typed into the search bar again and Dean noticed he was hacked into the Sunnydale Police Department records database. "I overheard Dawn talking earlier about her mom," he said and he pulled up all the records relating to all three Summers' women. "She died a few years ago, Dean. There's no record of it, not even a mention. If she'd died, it would be here."

"Their mom died from complications after having surgery. An aneurysm."

"According to this," Sam said as he brought up another article, dated from the last week of February. "Joyce Summers hosted yet another successful even at the Gallery in Sunnydale, raised a couple thousands of dollars for charity. You ever hear of a dead woman running an art gallery and throwing benefits?"

"It wouldn't be unheard of, I mean we've seen a lot of—"

"Dean," Sam said as he closed the laptop lid harshly. "She's not dead. Sunnydale isn't gone."

"Have you—"

"I checked," he nodded, frowning as he stood up in the chair. "Nothing changed for us. I even called Bobby, he confirmed a lot of things for me. Mom is still gone. Nothing in our life, in our world changed, just theirs. More specifically just those who were living in Sunnydale."

"How can that be possible?"

"It was her," Willow said as she seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, neither of the brother's having heard her come in the room. "It was Nereza. Her death caused a ripple effect, but it seems to have only affected a select few, not to mention the entire town of Sunnydale."

"You knew?" Dean asked and she nodded solemnly. "How much did you know before this happened?"

"Just what I was told, when I found her where Buffy and Faith had been sent to. She told me that the balance in the Slayer's life would be restored, that she would be put back on the path she should've taken instead of the one she is on. Everything that should've happened, the people involved, Sunnydale, it's all changed because her path had been changed a long, long time ago."

"Changed how?"

"It's a lot to discuss. I don't think I should tell you before I tell Buffy everything. Nobody else knows yet either. I wanted to tell Buffy first. But after the incident in the kitchen, I'm pretty sure everyone has their suspicions that things are different now. A lot different now."

"What about Faith?" Dean asked. "Did her life change too?"

"Yes, because she's a big part of Buffy's path. The Goddess made sure that her death would created the necessary ripple effect that would, in the end, have them together, and as a Goddess of Love, she would do anything to pair two halves of one soul together and in this case, it was done with her life and not just to prevent the demon from consuming her and putting an end to our world."

"What about you? You're connected to Buffy. Hasn't your path been changed as well?" Sam asked and she nodded, tears springing to her eyes as she smiled. "Is this a good thing, Willow?"

"For us, yes," she said quietly. "I don't know about you, your world, or why it's still connected to ours. Maybe it happened for a reason and it stayed like this because it was supposed to be this way."

"I've been doing some research," Sam said and Willow walked over to the desk and sat down, opening the laptop as Sam waved towards it. "Everything I have pulled up shows the changes, but obviously not everything you would need to know."

"You wished that she would find her way to you?" Willow asked Dean and he pointed to himself, confused. "Faith. It's obvious how you feel about her."

"She belongs to Buffy," Dean said quietly. "I've known that for a while, I think I even knew that when I first met her that she belonged to someone else. I guess I have to make peace with that now. Gonna be damn hard. Faith is one hell of a woman. I might not have been in her life for as long as you guys have, but I'd do anything to make sure she was happy and safe."

"I know," Willow smiled warmly. "Are you guys going to…leave now that this is all over? Or are you going to stick around?"

"Eager to get rid of us that fast?" Sam joked and he and Dean shared a knowing look. "We're not going anywhere, not today at least. But we do have our own lives to get back to. We'll leave you a couple of numbers to get in touch and just say the word and we'll be wherever you choose to be."

"We belong in Sunnydale. Some of the junior slayers can stay here, keep watch over Cleveland and make sure nothing happens around the Hellmouth here, but the rest of us? We belong in Sunnydale."

Willow went back to looking at the articles and records that Sam had dug up, not just on Sunnydale, but on all of them that he could find. Sam grabbed on to Dean's arm and pulled him towards the door as tears rolled down Willow's cheeks.

Following Sam out of the room wordlessly, they could hear the excited chatter all around the house. Dean knew that look on Sam's face even though they hadn't spent a lot of time together in years. It was the look of worry, that there was something more than to what meets the eye with this entire situation and when it all came crashing down, it wouldn't be good.

Dean just hoped, for Faith's sake, that that wouldn't be the case.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Faith shut the water off in the shower, the tap creaking as the water trickled down to a stop and she reached for the towel on the rack, pulling it around her quickly, the bathroom still having a chill in the air despite the amount of warm steam that filled from her hour long shower. She was in the middle of trying not to panic, but it was hard to keep calm and ignore what she saw as soon as she'd stripped off her clothes.

The first thing she had noticed was her tattoo. The mark given to her by Kakistos was gone and the skin smooth, not a single mark or evidence that it had been there at all. The second was the only deep scar she had on her entire body, one that had been given to her by Buffy years ago when Buffy stabbed her with her own knife. The skin too was smooth, not even a remnant of the scar that served as a memory for her remained. Both things held heavy memories, events that had moulded her life into what it turned out to be.

"There's gotta be some kind of explanation for this," Faith muttered as she toweled herself off. "Something probably happened with that whole time jump fiasco."

Shaking her head, she started to dry her wet hair with the towel, standing in the middle of the cool bathroom completely naked. She didn't even flinch when she heard the door creak open slowly, didn't even move to cover herself up as she walked over to the sink and wiped away the steam from the mirror. She closed her eyes as she felt warm, soft hands touch her shoulders and trail smoothly down her back. She inhaled sharply at the feel of warm, wet lips on her shoulder blade as hands slipped over her hips and encircled her from behind. She bit her lip as she heard the towel drop to the floor with a soft thud.

"Everything has changed," Buffy whispered, leaning in slowly to kiss Faith's exposed neck. "Everything."

"B?" Faith was afraid to speak, wondering if this was some kind of weird dream. She hadn't slept in well over a day and her body, her mind was so unbelievably exhausted. "What's changed?"

Opening her eyes, she looked at Buffy in the mirror as she kissed her neck again, her tongue dipping out for a little taste. "Everything," she said quietly, her breath tickling over her damn skin in a way that sent shivers down her spine. "Don't you feel it?"

"I feel you."

"It feels different," Buffy said as Faith slowly turned in her arms. "Doesn't it?"

Faith wasn't sure what to say, but being in Buffy's warm embrace, it felt like finally coming home where she was supposed to be. Instead of trying to find the right words to say, words themselves failing to fall past parted lips, Faith leaned in and kissed Buffy with everything that she had. A soft knock on the bathroom door pulled them apart and Buffy picked up her towel and wrapped it around her body.

"Buffy?" Willow called out from the other side of the door. "Can I talk to you?"

Buffy waited until Faith had her own towel wrapped around her body before she opened the door. "What is it, Wil?"

"Oh, I didn't know Faith was—oh!" Willow stepped back, blushing a deep red as Buffy walked out of the bathroom with Faith lingering behind. "I'll uh, I'll be in my room, so uh, why don't you get dressed and come and talk to me in a few minutes?"

"About what, Wil?"

"Faith, you can come too. I think you both will want to hear this together," Willow said and she walked off, shaking her head as she pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks.

"What was that all about?" Faith asked as they stood there, unmoving.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Should probably get dressed and go see what she wants."

"Yeah," Buffy nodded and Faith laughed as she stepped out into the hallway. "Oh, Wil's room is next to mine."

"Don't know where your room is either, B."

"Last door on the left," she replied as she walked in the same direction Willow walked off to. Faith just watched her and when Buffy reached her door, she turned and smiled at her before walking inside.

Faith shook her head, smiling as she headed down to the room she was staying in, feeling like she was floating on cloud nine. Yet there was a lingering feeling that whatever Willow wanted to talk to them about would change everything. Not just between the two of them, but their lives as a whole.

* * *

Faith knocked on Willow's door tentatively about fifteen minutes later. She heard Buffy call out from inside for her to come in and she opened the door and stepped inside. Buffy and Willow were sitting on the queen sized bed, waiting for her it seemed and she shut the door behind her and stood where she was.

"Come and sit," Buffy said as she patted the bed next to her.

"Okay," Faith said quietly and she walked around to the left side of the bed and sat down next to Buffy. Willow sat in the middle, legs crossed and she was staring at the two of them, eyes darting back and forth quickly. "What's the what, Willow?"

"I'm not really sure where to start," she admitted easily and if Faith wasn't mistaken, she could see that Willow was nervous. "There's some things you both need to know about what happened when you killed the Goddess. When I went to her to give her the scythe to hide, she told me that killing her would change the future, protect us from the demon who had consumed her and was using her powers mixed with its own to put an end to our world as we knew it. Killing her prevented the demon from doing this, but what she didn't tell me was what else it would change for us. I don't think she truly knew the consequences of her death."

"But we killed her to stop the events that were happening here and that would continue to happen until we were all killed. Why would it change anything else but that?" Buffy asked and Faith idly scratched where her tattoo used to be and she glanced down, feeling weird not to see it marked there in her skin. "Willow, what has changed?"

"At first I just thought they were small, minor changes, things we wouldn't really notice or would actually affect our lives as a whole. I was wrong."

"Willow," Buffy said quietly. "Just tell me."

"Faith, what happened to your tattoo?" Willow asked suddenly and Buffy reached out to touch her arm where it had been. "When did it disappear?"

"Beats me," Faith shrugged. "It was there the other night, then we got sent back in time. Never dawned on me to look and see if it was still there, you know? Didn't notice it 'til I had a shower," she said and she shrugged again. "Not the only thing missing."

"What else?" Buffy whispered, her fingers trembling as she glided her fingers down Faith's arm, her eyes trailing to her stomach. "It's gone, isn't it?"

Faith nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"What's gone?" Willow asked.

"The scar B gave me," Faith replied, leaving it at that as to not drag up any more bad memories than she had to at the moment. "It's like it wasn't even there."

"Oh, Goddess," Willow gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "This is so much bigger than I thought it was."

"Wil, we don't even know how big it already is!" Buffy exclaimed, the tension hanging between the three of them heavily. "Is…Sunnydale…?"

"The battle on the Hellmouth ended far differently," Willow said calmly. "When the Hellmouth collapsed, it only took the school and a few houses nearby. Sam is actually the one who found out what had happened. I—I kind of was told that your life, Buffy, and the path you were on would be restored, that you would be put back on the path you should've taken instead of the one you lived through. I don't know what things have changed and there's only so much we can go by with newspaper articles and records."

"I don't understand."

"Buffy," Willow said as she reached out and took Buffy's hands in hers. "I want you to hear this from me first. Your mom, she—" Willow choked up as the tears began to fall and Faith could feel her own tears forming as well. "She's alive. Again, or well, technically still alive since as far as she knows, nothing ever happened to her, no tumor and no complications from the surgery that caused the aneurysm. She's alive and still in Sunnydale, Buffy."

"No," Buffy gasped as she pulled her hands out of Willow's and she furiously wiped away her tears. "There's no way she's alive. There's no way. She's dead. Gone. Forever. How can she be alive, Wil?"

"I don't know, but she is."

"It's a trick."

"Buffy—"

"This is all a trick! An illusion! Something out there is playing us, all of us, and we're falling for it like fools! No, I don't believe any of it! My mother is dead, Willow! Sunnydale is gone!"

It wasn't Willow that Buffy reached out for as she broke down, it was Faith and Faith did her best to hold her and comfort her, watching Willow watch the two of them with curious eyes.

"It's going to take some time to figure out what changed and what remained the same," Willow said and she wiped away her own tears. "It seems like the Goddess made sure that somehow we would remember everything as it is and nothing as it has become. Surely there's a reason for that."

"Yeah, to make our lives that much more difficult," Faith muttered under her breath and she gently rubbed Buffy's back as she clung to her, grabbing on to the front of Faith's tank top as she buried her face into Faith's neck. "If everything went and changed on us, what the hell are we still doing here?"

"I don't know," Willow frowned. "I don't know."

A soft knock sounded on the door before Kennedy opened it and walked in. She looked like a mess and it was obvious she'd been crying, although the tears were gone as she shut the door behind her. Buffy moved out of Faith's arms, her eyes trailing over to look at Kennedy lingering by the door.

"By all accounts and purposes, you came here to check in on us," Kennedy replied in a bitter tone of voice. Willow scrambled to get off the bed and tried to wrap her arms lovingly around Kennedy, but she pushed her away. "Don't," Kennedy said coldly. "When you find out what I already know, you won't even want to come near me ever again."

"Ken—"

"You knew this would happen, didn't you? You lied to us, make it out to be because of the _Slayer_ when it was more about _you_ getting what you've been wanting for years," Kennedy said angrily. Faith got off the bed, ready to step between the two if she needed to, even though they both could handle themselves in their own way. Kennedy shoved a thick book into Willow's hands. "While you were off having your little Scooby meeting that I was not informed was even happening, I wandered around the compound and I found that," she said as she pointed at the book Willow clutched in her hands. "Figured I'd do you a favor, help you and everyone else figure it all out on your own. Whatever you want to know, most of it is in there."

"This is a Watcher's diary," Willow whispered as she opened the book and ran her fingers over the first page. "Giles' Watcher's diary. Where did you find this?"

"In the library with the rest of them. I knew something didn't feel right after that earthquake earlier, or whatever the hell it was, so I went looking for something, I didn't know what at first, but when I saw the diary sitting on the desk in the library, I knew that it was what I was looking for."

"Kennedy—"

Looking over at Buffy, Kennedy frowned. "Sorry for reading it. I just had to know."

"Know what?" Buffy asked her as Willow went to say her name again, but Kennedy just brushed them off as she opened the door and walked out without saying another word.

"Buffy, do you want to—"

"No," Buffy said as she shook her head. "Not right now. I don't think I can handle knowing everything, not after what you just told me, Willow."

"Can I?"

Buffy nodded as she walked towards the open doorway. "Yeah. You know you will even if I say no," Buffy chuckled dryly. "It's been a rough couple of days. I think I'm just going to get some sleep and we'll figure out…whatever it is we need to in the morning."

Faith didn't miss the not so subtle look Buffy flashed her way, not with her bedroom eyes and a sexy little smile that told her exactly what she wanted. She wanted Faith to follow her, to spend the night with her and even though she knew that it wasn't the best idea with the emotional state Buffy was in, she didn't want to leave her alone either.

Willow turned to look at Faith once Buffy had left the room. "Go," she said with a soft smile. "She wants you with her, so go."

"I, uh—"

"Faith? Don't worry about anything else tonight other than making sure she has everything she needs. I'll go through this," Willow said as she held up the book and she smiled though it faltered quickly. "I'll make notes."

Faith nodded and she walked out of the room and turned down to Buffy's slightly ajar door. She tapped on the door a few times before pushing it open and walking into the dimly lit bedroom. She barely had the door shut behind her before Buffy was pulling her towards the bed, her lips needy, kissing her with breathless desperation that Faith fell into the reckless desire and set her mind on giving Buffy absolutely everything that she needed and wanted. All night long.

* * *

Dean sat alone in the nearly dark kitchen, perched on a stool at the breakfast bar, sipping a cold beer as the radio played quietly. He couldn't sleep despite how exhausted he was and Sam had gone back to researching what he could, zoning out the rest of the world, lost in the tangled web the world was now in.

He heard the soft moans, the quiet whimpers, the not so subtle creaking of the bedsprings coming from the room above the kitchen and his stomach twisted in knots as he reached for the radio, turning the volume up a few more notches.

The things he'd been hearing all night long, none of it seemed remotely possible. Were they stuck in a different dimension all together or was it all real, had it all really happened? Did killing the Goddess really create such a huge ripple effect that it changed a whole life? What about his? And Sam's? Did their life stay the same because their world had simply just collided with theirs and wasn't truly connected to the fate of the Goddess? So many questions, never enough answers and it made his head hurt.

Dean turned on the stool as he heard the soft footsteps enter the kitchen. He wasn't at all surprised to see Willow, clutching a book to her chest with both hands, her skin appearing paler than normal in the dim light.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Willow asked and she placed the book down on the counter near him before she grabbed the kettle, filled it and placed it on the stove. She turned on the burner and turned to face him. "Are you okay, Dean?"

"Just couldn't sleep, that's all."

"Yeah, me neither," Willow chuckled quietly. "I can't seem to stop reading that," she said as she pointed to the book near him. "So much is the same, yet the things that I thought mattered most, those life-changing events that affected not only Buffy, but the rest of us connected to her, are so very different."

"Sounds like quite a read."

"It is."

"Sounds like something you'd need a strong drink to help it all settle in."

"Of course."

"Tea?"

"What else would I pour some of Giles' premium Scotch in? I can't drink that straight," Willow chuckled as she reached into one of the cupboards and pulled out a fancy bottle of Scotch. "It's not every day you find out the love of your life is still alive, you know?"

"Yeah?" Dean leaned forward, watching her as her hands trembled while she poured more than a healthy amount of Scotch into a mug. "Tara, right?"

"You know about her?"

"Faith talked a lot about you guys, mostly just mentioned things here and there. Said Tara was your whole world and that some asshole shot her. I'm sorry."

Willow nodded, wiping away a few tears as she picked up the mug and took a sip. Immediately she pulled a face. "Do you want to read that?" Willow asked him and he shook his head no.

"Never was much of a reader. That's more of Sam's thing."

"What do you know about Faith's history in Sunnydale?"

"Just what she told me," Dean replied and he took a sip of his beer. "And I know it wasn't everything either, just what she wanted me to know."

"According to this," Willow said as she jabbed the book. "Faith didn't come to Sunnydale alone. She came with her Watcher, Diana Dormer. It was supposed to be a visit to train with Buffy, learn from a more experienced Slayer. From what Giles wrote down, they only stayed on when we learned that the Mayor was planning something. Faith didn't kill the Deputy Mayor. Buffy stopped her in time. He became an ally."

"Wait," Dean said in shock. "Faith killed someone before?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"I knew she was in prison, she just never told me why."

"Oh," Willow said sheepishly. "It was all an accident, a mistake, they were—"

"It doesn't matter," Dean cut her off. "She didn't tell me for a reason. I get that."

Willow frowned and Dean knew there was a lot more about Faith she hadn't told him and he wasn't sure he wanted to know anything else. The kettle started to whistle and Willow pulled it off the burner before pouring it in her mug and put a teabag inside. She walked back over to the breakfast bar, standing opposite of Dean and placed her mug down slowly.

"Things between Buffy and Faith, according to this, a lot of what we know happened, never did. They worked together as a team and they were friends. After we blew up the Mayor on the day of his ascension, Faith and her Watcher stayed in Sunnydale. After that summer, things are still pretty much the same. College, I met Tara, Buffy briefly dated Riley, but they didn't last, not like they really did. He did help us with the Initiative though and we made it through that year without much trouble. Even after that next summer, a lot of the same things happened. Dawn came to our lives the same way, Glory made our lives hell, only…only Buffy never died to save the world. The portal never got opened. Buffy and Faith, together they killed Glory before it happened."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that is a pretty big change. Faith told me how Buffy died and that you were able to bring her back a few months later. What about Buffy's mom?" Dean asked, only knowing what Faith told him once how Buffy's mother had died a few months before Buffy died to save the world.

"There's no mention of her, not during that year at all," Willow said quietly and she shook her head. "It was that summer after killing Glory that Giles noted a change between Buffy and Faith, that they'd grown much closer, become what you'd say inseparable. There is a month missing as Giles and Diana went on some kind of Watcher's retreat in England and—this is all very boring to you, isn't it?"

"No," Dean said, smiling as he raised his can of beer to his lips and took a sip. "It's not boring, but interesting actually. I mean, Faith told me things, but she didn't like to talk about her life in Sunnydale too much, you know? So, what happened after the entires started again?"

"They became a little less regular," Willow replied. "But from what I gathered, we spent the entire year being annoyingly bothered by the Trio. When Warren got out of control, there was a note that Giles dealt with Warren himself when he encountered him outside of Buffy's backyard, planning to kill her and Faith."

"This is the same guy who…" Dean said, referring to Tara, but not wanting to say her name because he didn't want to bring the witch to tears again. When Willow nodded, he did too. "Have you told them any of this?"

"Not yet, no," Willow said quietly and she lifted her mug to her lips and slowly sipped the hot tea. "Kennedy found this earlier and she brought it to me when I was trying to tell Buffy and Faith what I already knew, about Sunnydale, about Buffy's mom. Buffy was really upset and she didn't want to hear a word I had to say. She left and uh, Faith did too. Buffy needed someone to comfort her, she was really upset."

"So I've been hearing for the last hour," Dean grumbled under his breath and Willow chuckled as she glanced up at the ceiling briefly. "Should we be prepared for another time jump or whatever the hell happened to them the other day?"

"What makes you think they were…sleeping together the other day, Dean?"

"I saw them when I went to look for them," he replied quietly. "I didn't want to interrupt. It looked pretty intense from what I saw and knowing Faith, it didn't end with what I saw happening between them."

"Oh. Ooh!" Willow's eyes flew open and she started giggling. "I should've guessed. I mean, the Goddess of Love wanted her life to end, but she needed a catastrophic event to happen in order to bring the Slayers to a time where she was most vulnerable. It all makes complete sense."

"Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, sweetheart."

"A lot of things in our world don't make a whole lot of sense," Willow replied. "It's just something we've all gotten used to, you know?"

"I'm starting to get that," Dean nodded, smiling at Willow as she sipped her tea. They both looked up at the ceiling as they heard a crash and Dean rose to his feet, his hand reaching for his gun.

"Don't," Willow said as she held a hand up. "They just broke the bed."

"They just _broke_ the bed?" Dean scrunched his eyebrows together, not wanting to think about how something like that could happen between two women. "I think I'm going to need a stronger drink. Feel like sharing some of that Scotch, Willow?"

Willow slid the bottle towards Dean and he drank straight from the half-empty bottle, ignoring the look Willow shot at him for doing that. He reached for the radio, turning the volume up a little more, trying to drown out the laughter from upstairs.

* * *

Faith gasped, trying to stop laughing as she and Buffy laid on the broken bed. Faith wasn't sure how it happened, but when it did, it'd definitely ruined the moment. Buffy groaned, clearly embarrassed as her laughed died and she rolled on to her stomach and buried her face into the feather pillow.

"You know, you surprise me, B," Faith whispered as she turned on her side and gently rubbed Buffy's back. "Didn't think you'd be into this, much less have something like this," she said, chuckling as she moved her hand to pull the strapless phallus out from inside of her and she tossed it to the end of the bed. Her body was slick with sweat and her heart was still racing wildly out of control. "Hey, B? What's up?"

"What if someone heard?" Buffy murmured into the pillow, unmoving. "Oh my god."

Faith smiled as she leaned in to kiss Buffy's bare shoulder. "I'll take the heat," she said softly. "Tell 'em if they ask we were just, I dunno, messing around, sparring and things got out of control."

Buffy turned her head and looked over at Faith. "Like they'd ever believe that."

"Do they got any other reason to believe anything else, B?"

"They saw us in the club," Buffy whispered. "They all know there is something going on between us."

"And that bothers you?"

"Strangely, no."

"But me fucking you, pounding that fake cock inside of you so hard and fast that we broke the bed does?" Faith asked with a teasing smile and Buffy groaned as she buried her face into the pillow again. "Come here," she whispered as she pulled Buffy closer to her and wrapped her arms firmly around her. "Don't think about it, okay? It was hot. Definitely wanna give that a go again sometime, just you know, on a bed that can handle it."

Even though she couldn't see Buffy's face as she laid her head on her shoulder, Faith knew she rolled her eyes. Chuckling, she smiled lazily as Buffy snuggled against her and she could feel Buffy's body relax against her own. Faith was experiencing a lot of firsts with Buffy, and not the obvious ones. She wasn't one to cuddle in bed, before or after sex. She didn't do pillow talk—if what they'd just talked about was considered some form of pillow talk, and she didn't do love. All those things she didn't do was becoming a reality and she was loving every last minute of it. There was no sense in trying to deny it, so she didn't even bother, she just basked in the feeling of the moment they were sharing together.

"Do you think it's true?" Buffy asked in a hushed whisper. "About Sunnydale? My mom?"

"I don't know, B. Maybe," she whispered back. "Let's not think about that right now, okay? We'll worry about it all in the morning."

"Aren't you thinking about it?"

"Nah," Faith grinned as she smoothed her hands down Buffy's back. "Thinking about a whole lot of something else."

Buffy laughed as she kept her head on Faith's shoulder and ran her fingers over Faith's arm that was wrapped around her. Faith tucked Buffy's hair behind her ear as Buffy raised her head and leaned in for a sweet, serene kiss, her tongue teasing Faith's lips apart. While Faith was still feeling up for more, it was clear that Buffy wasn't, not as she pulled back with a stifled yawn and frowned.

"What?"

"I'm just tired," Buffy replied. "Aren't you? You haven't slept in—wait, when is the last time you actually slept, Faith?"

"Uh," Faith groaned as she thought about it. "Couple nights ago."

"The day before this all happened?" Buffy asked as she leaned up a little more to look into Faith's eyes. Faith nodded gently. "Aren't you exhausted?"

"Beyond," she chuckled. "Still could go a few rounds yet."

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Buffy smirked and she kissed her once more before reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp. "We should get some sleep. We have to be up in a few hours anyway."

"Sure."

"Faith?" Buffy asked quietly. "What is this?"

"What do you mean, B?"

"What is going on with us?"

"I don't know," Faith replied honestly. "It's new and it feels good and I think we oughta just take it one day at a time, yeah?"

"I haven't forgotten your promise that we'd talk about this," Buffy reminded her gently and Faith laughed. "Seriously, Faith, we do have to talk about this one way or another."

"And we will."

Yet, that was a conversation Faith wasn't entirely looking forward to having. She'd deterred the question of what they were with answering it exactly what it was, not how she felt or what she thought it was. She knew Buffy was asking if this was more than a one-night stand, even though it was their second time together. She knew Buffy was worried about it just being about sex, but Faith was too afraid to even utter the words "it could never just be about sex when its you and me".

Faith lay awake long after Buffy had fallen asleep and she slowly untangled herself from Buffy's limbs and slipped out of bed. She didn't leave the room, she just walked over to the window and stared out into the slowly lightening yard. She turned back to the room and spotted a robe hanging on the hook of the open wardrobe door and she slipped it on before fishing out her cigarettes from her jean pocket. Cracking open the window a little, she sat on the windowsill and lit a cigarette, inhaling sharply as she watched grey clouds skirt across the early morning sky.

She was thinking more than of what they had all been through in the past couple of weeks. Were her days traveling all over the country over now? Were her days working with Dean at her side, hunting with him over now that her life had changed and now that his brother had joined up with him again? Was she ready for that? For her life to be consistent and not just one adventure in a new town after another?

Taking a long drag of her cigarette, she licked over her lips, trying to figure out not just her mind was saying, but what her heart was whispering to her too. She blew the smoke out the window and sighed heavily. She never just listened to her heart, always too afraid of where it would lead her. Always too afraid that if she listened to her heart, she'd find love, fall in love and end up with her heart broken beyond repair.

Faith knew she was in love with Buffy, there was no denying it anymore, and now that she had a part of Buffy she'd never had before, she wasn't sure she could just let go, even if Buffy decided tomorrow or the day after that that what she wanted didn't include her in the picture. Buffy was always the hardest person to read and even though she'd been forthcoming with her intentions, showing her feelings just as Faith had, she wasn't sure just how Buffy felt about what was going on between them, how Buffy felt about her.

Did Buffy want her to stick around? They'd barely spoken to each other in the week since the club and the attack at the hotel. They'd barely even looked at each other until the other night when Buffy had followed her outside and their actions led to the situation they were in now. More importantly, she had to ask herself if she wanted to stick around. Maybe that would be more than an adventure than the life she'd been living for the last ten months.

Life was full of the unknown, of adventure and living in the moment. Faith smiled as she finally made up her mind. She flicked her cigarette out the window and closed it, shutting out the chill that was slowly coming into the room. Her decision didn't make her feel uneasy, it made her feel everything but uneasy.

Now, all that mattered was seeing what tomorrow would bring and the adventures that would follow. And there would be many.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Dean kept his eyes open despite his tiredness, the Impala sailing down the highway in the middle of the night, chasing the darkness to the west as the sun rose in the east behind them. Sam sat quiet in the seat next to him, his eyes closed, his head resting against the closed window. He hadn't questioned when Dean told him to get in the car, hadn't bothered to say goodbye to the people he barely even knew.

Dean had only one destination in mind: Sunnydale, California.

Just an hour earlier, after talking to Willow in the kitchen, she asked him a favor he only agreed to because of Faith. It was a risk he was willing to take and all it involved was making it across the country to Sunnydale in a few days to check it out for himself while Willow stayed behind and dealt with the inevitable fallout that would come as soon as she revealed all that this alternate version of the lives held. Willow only one thing from him, confirmation. It seemed easy enough as it was, but making it across the country in three days meant the only stops they'd be taking were to fill the Impala with gas and to stop for food.

Sam didn't know that they were going there and Dean had no doubt that he would react in one or two ways. One, he'd be all for confirming the changes he too had discovered, or two, he'd call Dean an idiot for doing a favor and for doing it for Faith, maybe even call him selfish for falling in love with someone who will never love him back. Maybe he was being a selfish idiot, or maybe he was doing it for other reasons he had yet to realize. Or maybe it really was out of love.

_Love. Never saw it coming. Creeps up on you out of nowhere and when you realize it, it hits you in the face hard like demon, sucks your soul out like you've been tackled by a vamp and got the wind knocked out of you, _Dean thought as he kept his tired eyes on the road ahead of him. Maybe it wasn't love that he felt, but it was the closest damn thing to it.

Dean drove until the sun finally caught up to them and he pulled over into a rest stop along the busy highway, parking the car beside the gas pump and shut the car off abruptly. He nudged Sam a few times, waking him up before he got out of the car, slamming the door shut loudly, his body aching to be stretched after six long hours on the road.

"Where are we?" Sam asked tiredly as he climbed out of the car, stretching out his long limbs.

"About an hour outside of St. Louis," Dean replied and he unscrewed the gas cap and motioned for Sam to come fill the Impala up. "Give her a good, full tank. I'm gonna hit the can and grab some snacks."

Dean walked into the gas bar and headed straight for the back to use the bathroom. It was dirty and the florescent light above him hissed and flickered. He finished up quickly, nearly running into a burly trucker who grunted at him as Dean patted the man on the chest, flashing him a friendly smile since he wasn't in the mood for a fight inside a gas station bathroom with a disgruntled, oversized trucker.

Dean loaded up on the usual road trip snacks and used one of his credit cards that weren't registering as declined to pay for them and the full tank of gas Sam put in the Impala. Dean didn't even argue when he walked outside the gas bar and found Sam sitting behind the wheel, waiting for him as he checked his messages on his phone.

"Non-stop to Sunnydale, huh?" Sam asked as he tucked his phone into his jacket pocket. "Any reason you didn't tell me this when we packed up the car and left in the middle of the night?"

Dean shrugged as he tossed the bag of snack food into the backseat. "Are you in or are you out? If you're looking for a chance to bail, I'm giving it to you now, Sammy."

"What are we doing exactly?"

"A favor."

Sam raised an eyebrow, but didn't say another word as he pulled out of the rest stop lot and back out onto the busy highway. Dean settled in the passenger seat, too tired to argue as Sam flipped through the radio stations and settled on one that normally had him fuming. There was more to them just leaving in the middle of the night the way they had and Dean knew Sam would be asking him that question later, but the further they got from Cleveland, the less he worried about it.

* * *

The room was silence and the only ones sitting around the large table in the dining room was Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Andrew and Faith. Willow had been talking for almost two hours, nobody else saying a word as they listened to everything she had read in the alternate version of the Watcher's diary penned by Giles—the alternate version of Giles.

Faith was beyond confused and she knew she wasn't the only one in the room feeling that way. So much of their lives in Sunnydale remained almost virtually the same, but it was the little details that made a difference, that changed their lives far more significantly than they realized the little things could. Faith knew all about how one little choice, one mistake, made a world of a difference, but she too was only seeing the alternate outcome of what making a difference choice, taking a different path truly meant.

When Angel's death was mentioned, Faith felt her eyes sting with tears she wouldn't let fall. Buffy sat there in stoic silence, but it was clear there was a huge emotional wave coursing through her, splitting open the hole that Angel had without a doubt left in her heart years ago. Faith couldn't believe _how_ he was killed and _when_. It had been shortly after Angelus had made his return and Buffy, consumed by grief and loss, rather than believing she could save him in some way or form, she killed him the first chance she had got and according to the Watcher diary, it had been a fight that left her recovering for weeks, the emotional damage far worse than the physical.

Faith knew what that meant, that if Buffy had killed Angelus soon after his return, it meant that the people he had killed, harmed, and tortured had been left untouched. It meant that Jenny Calendar was still very much alive and she wasn't the only one thinking about it, she could tell by the way Giles' teary eyes fluttered as he removed his glasses and rubbed the lenses hard with his silk handkerchief in an attempt to still his shaking hands.

A lot of what Willow had told them so far had been during the time before Faith had been in Sunnydale, long before she was Called, long before Diana Dormer found her on the streets and took her in as her potential, gave her a room in her small apartment, trained with her, taught her of what her destiny would be and what it meant if she were to ever be called as the next Slayer. Faith knew what was coming next, she didn't need to guess, she just _knew_.

Willow, even as tired as she looked and sounded, turned the page and cleared her throat as she turned to look at Faith. She inhaled sharply. Did she want to know? Was she ready to know if her arrival in Sunnydale and her life there had been the same, or if she had made better choices—the _right_ choices?

Faith's heart was in her throat as Willow read from the Watcher's diary, chronicling Faith's arrival with her Watcher, Diana Dormer, there in Sunnydale on a impromptu retreat to learn from the original slayer. A month planned trip quickly turned into two, two months into four and when Faith and Buffy went to kill the previously thought dead demon, Balthazar, the events written down strangely similar to what had actually happened, only Buffy had stopped Faith in time before she staked the Deputy Mayor, Allan Finch. From there, the decision for Faith and Diana to stay in Sunnydale was made as Allan Finch became a loyal ally, providing information on the Mayor of Sunnydale and his plans of his ascension.

Though the events afterwards were similar in nature, Faith never experienced the feel of killing another human being and that event alone had kept the darkness from invading her, controlling her, consuming her. Together, they all worked at trying to stop the Mayor from his ascension, all along the way, facing the every day perils of the life as a slayer. There were no lies, no betrayal, no deception, no murders, no deaths. There was only a solid partnership between the two Slayers and the two Watcher's that, together, they put an end to the Mayor of Sunnydale in almost the exact same way as the fight had gone down on Graduation Day.

Faith was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely, it wasn't all good when it came to her. She came from South Boston, her rebellious personality had just been who she was, her human nature. Sunnydale, according to the diary, had matured her as not just a slayer, but as a person as well and in some ways, that made Faith feel uneasy. Her life was not what she was hearing. She had gone through the lowest of lows, the darkest of dark and she had lived through it all, learned from most of it and was working hard at redeeming herself for all the wrong she'd done.

The focus in the Watcher's diary shifted, the entries less detailed as Buffy and Willow focused on their studies in college and Faith took up the heavy load of patrol, giving Buffy the freedom her mother had wanted her to have. There was brief mention of Riley Finn and there was noticeable tension in the room, Faith could feel it rippling through the air like an electric storm. There were notes on the Initiative, what they knew and most entries covered just basic notes for a few months, before a plan was finally set in motion in taking out Adam and the entire Initiative. Their experiment on Spike, Hostile 17, had a very different ending. The chip malfunctioned and he started killing, out of control, out of his mind entirely, becoming a ruthless killing machine far worse than Angelus had ever been. It had been Faith who killed him after he nearly killed Buffy one night during a routine patrol in Restfield Cemetery.

The situation with the Initiative, Faith didn't know a lot, just a little bit of the story she'd heard from Willow during the drive from LA to Sunnydale years after. Willow had told her a lot of what she'd missed, things she needed to know, leaving her to figure out the rest of it on her own.

The entries continued after that, few and far in between, sometimes one entry for the the entire month, but the trend was an entry every other week. Faith knew things were getting more intense in the room, everyone was on edge as they listened to every word that Willow spoke. Dawn came into their lives the same way as did Glory and the many events that followed. The one notable event missing, even Faith knew, was of Buffy's mother, Joyce, who never got sick, never had surgery, and ultimately never died. There was a small note that her mother had been relocated to a secure location in the last month before Glory's death.

No note on the fact that Buffy died to save the world, to save Dawn. There was, however, a detailed account of the fight between Glory and Buffy with Faith fighting at her side and together they were able to finally kill the Hell God. Faith remembered that moment even though she hadn't been there, the moment she felt Buffy die and it was something she'd never forget. It left an emptiness inside of her she couldn't figure out what it was, until Angel had come to deliver the heartbreaking news to her at the prison.

Nobody spoke a word as Giles poured Willow a fresh cup of tea and she exhaled sharply, drinking it slowly with her eyes closed. Faith took the opportunity of a brief pause to look over at Buffy sitting next to her and she saw that Buffy had tears streaming down her cheeks, her face ashen, her body rigid as if she was in shock.

Faith turned her attention to Giles as he walked over to one of the many fully stocked bookshelves scattered throughout the compound and after pulling a few books aside, he pulled out a full bottle of whisky and without a word, poured some in the empty glass in front of Faith, into the empty coffee mug in front of Buffy and then into the two glasses thrust towards him from Xander and Andrew. Dawn placed a hand over her own coffee mug, shaking her head no. Once Giles had poured himself some whisky, he screwed the cap back on and all eyes were back on Willow as she turned to the next page in the diary.

There was a rather noticeable gap with the entries, the only one throughout the summer was a note on a Watcher's retreat that Giles and Diana had been invited to in England. The next entry stated certain unrelated events once Giles returned and assessed Buffy to ensure she'd been keeping up with her training while he had been gone. It noted he noticed a significant change in Buffy and Faith, that their close friendship had become something more and that they had become inseparable in the time since he had been in Sunnydale last. The looks cast Faith and Buffy's way as Willow read the words were not lost on Faith, but Buffy was still sitting there, her eyes cast downward to her hands clutching her whisky filled coffee mug.

As the trend started to appear, the entries becoming further and further apart, only notable events were written down instead of the weekly ones, providing all of them of less information to the changes in all their lives, or at least when it came to the parts of their lives that involved Buffy and Faith. When the Trio was mentioned, Andrew cringed, wincing rather loudly as he slouched down in his chair. There weren't many entries after the mention of them, it being a rather—unusual—uneventful year for them all.

Then came something that Faith wasn't prepared for. Buffy's coming out, Buffy and Faith officially moving in together into the very same apartment that in their own life, the Mayor had gifted to Faith as a reward for the services and daughter-like companionship she'd provided for him. Nobody barely batted an eyelash at the notes written in the diary as Willow recited them, word for word as she had the rest and then the entires became more frequent as yet another summer came to an uneventful end.

Faith had heard the story before, the events leading up to the First Evil's reveal and its ultimate plan to return to earth, to make it its own as it had been eons ago. Giles noted his departure and his entires continued as he raided the Council of information shortly before it's explosive ending, the findings of fellow colleagues and a few that had potentials already in their employ, training and teaching them the ways of the slayer and the life she could lead if she was ultimately to be Called. And just as it had before, the entires became far and few in between, but the details very much as they had been already. The potentials arriving in Sunnydale to be under the protection of Buffy and Faith, the Harbingers attacking, Caleb, finding out about the weapon forged for the slayer and Buffy ultimately finding it in the vineyard where Caleb had the Harbingers working endlessly to free it from the stone.

The battle was written as it had happened, only without Angel and Spike, they were without an amulet and a Champion, but it was written that if it hadn't been for Willow and Tara harnessing both the power of light and dark magic, they would never have won. With light, they used the power of the scythe to call forth all the potentials, using the essence of the slayer in the scythe to make it happen. With dark, they had used the other mystical energies inside the scythe to bring forth an infernal light that killed the hundreds of thousands of Turok-Han inside the Hellmouth, the shockwave from the light causing the Hellmouth to collapse, taking out Sunnydale High School and the houses that were nearby with it instead of the entire town.

And still nobody spoke a word, each lost in their own thoughts as Willow turned the page and reached for her cup of tea and gingerly took a sip, her eyes wandering over the others sitting at the table. Faith reached for her glass and sipped the whisky, the amber liquid burning on the way down, dulling the feeling of her heart in her throat.

"So," Xander spoke up as he rose to his feet shakily. "How come, if this all supposedly happened, we don't remember any of it the way that it was written?"

"We're meant to remember," Faith said, remembering what the Goddess had said to her, all of it now making more sense than it had in the moment. "Nereza said we'd only remember our lives as they were only where it mattered most. I didn't think she meant all of it, but now I know that's what she did mean when she said we will remember only what you must, only what matters most in the moment."

"That doesn't explain why we have absolute no memory of what Willow just told us!" Xander snapped at her and Faith held her hands up in defense.

"Look, Xander, I ain't no expert on this time traveling, changing the past to change the future shit. For whatever reason, we remember only what we know, not what is. I don't know why, but I get a feeling there's a reason for that."

"She is right, Xander," Giles agreed. "And in time, I am certain we will find the answers that we are looking for now," he paused and turned to Willow. "Is there, perhaps anything more written?"

Willow flipped the page and shook her head no. "The entries stop when the decision is made that the new slayers will make the move to Cleveland and you go with them there, Giles, to train them and to aid them as they protect the Hellmouth here. The rest of us, we…stayed behind in Sunnydale."

"So, what the hell are we doing here now?" Dawn snapped and her shrill voice snapped Buffy out of the trance-like shock she'd been in for quite some time.

"Dawn!"

"What?"

"Language!" Buffy yelled and Dawn rolled her eyes and stood up so quickly, her chair clattered backwards to the floor. "Does it matter why we're here now? We just are, aren't we?"

"I think I need another drink," Xander muttered as he sat back down in his chair and peered into his empty glass. "Andrew, how about you, buddy? You in for another drink or maybe a hundred?"

"Oh please!"

"Oh bloody hell, I hardly think now is the time to get drunk. I simply gave you each something to calm yourself, not to start a big drunken party!" Giles yelled over the chaos that was erupting between them all, the only ones silent were Faith and Willow.

Faith sighed loudly as she stood up from her chair, eager to escape the chaos in the room if even for a little while. She rubbed the back of her neck as she grabbed her glass and slipped out of the room with Willow close behind her.

"I had to get outta there," Faith said quietly, glancing back into the room at the others before turning to look at Willow. "Is it possible this is all true?"

"When Nereza sent me the spell, it send me to several different points in time. I saw things I wish I could erase from my mind. When I spoke to her, in several different times, she showed me the life that would be if we ended her life long before ours ever existed. All I had to do was help her set the path into motion."

"And how did you do that?"

"The attack the night you arrived? That was me," Willow replied meekly. "Partially me. The first few were me, the rest were not."

"I'm wicked confused here, Willow."

"Makes two of us, four of them," she said as she motioned back to the room they just exited, "and a house full of young slayers who are without a doubt experiencing gaps in their memory. Except those who were with us in Sunnydale."

"And Kennedy?" Faith asked. "You and Kennedy aren't—"

"No," Willow frowned. "We aren't and haven't been. She's remembering _this_ life and repressing the memories of what started in Sunnydale between us. Her life is here and mine is in Sunnydale…"

"With Tara," Faith finished and she raised her glass to her lips and took a sip. "So, what do we do now, Willow? Do we stay or do we go back?"

"We…stay. For now."

"For now?"

"Until I hear from Dean and Sam."

"What are you talking about?"

"I asked Dean for a favor," Willow said quietly. "He and Sam left just before three this morning. They're on their way to Sunnydale."

* * *

_March 24th - Sunnydale, California_

Dean pulled into the parking lot of Sunnydale Motor Inn and came to a stop just outside the manager's office. It was early, just before five in the morning and they had driven non-stop from Denver after stopping over there to rest properly in a bed for a good part of a day. They still had made good time from Cleveland to Sunnydale and Dean was more than ready to get a room for him and Sam and sleep for the better part of the day before he checked out the town and made the phone call to Willow.

"We're here?" Sam asked sleepily as he looked over at Dean. "You want to get a room or you want me to?"

"I will. Just stay put."

Dean climbed out of the Impala and walked into the office, the night manager half-asleep at the shabby, cluttered front desk. He hit the bell five times before the over-weight man rose from his deep sleep and grabbed at his dirty white tank top as he blinked his eyes at Dean.

"What do ya want?"

"A room, two beds," Dean replied easily as he leaned on the edge of the desk, the wood creaking slightly.

"Eighteen dollars a day," the night manager said as he pulled out a book from under all the clutter. "Name?"

"Winchester."

It was rare us ever used his real name, but in Sunnydale, he hardly figure it'd make a difference. The night manager grunted as he pulled off a room key from the board behind him and placed it on the desk by Dean's arm.

"Pay up front or get out."

Dean pulled out a crumpled twenty from his pocket and slammed it on the desk, grinning as he swiped the key and walked out the small office and back out to the Impala. With a quick glance at the room number, he backed out of the spot and drove down to the end of the motel and parked the car.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"We're gonna sleep, Sammy," Dean replied as he climbed out of the car and popped the trunk. He grabbed his bag and lifted the floor of the trunk to grab a few weapons, Sam following suit. "This town isn't safe as long as it's dark. A motel doesn't require a vampire to have an invite to come in. Be alert until the sun rises."

Sam nodded, slamming the trunk shut as Dean headed for their room, using the key to unlock the door, trying a few times before he managed to get it unlocked. The room wasn't too bad, just barely livable, and there were two beds and not much else. Dean claimed his bed, tossing his bag on the end of the one closest to the door while he placed spare gun under the pillow along with an extra stake. The other stake, he kept in his pocket and he laid down on top of the mattress, watching as Sam pulled his laptop out from his own bag and sat on the bed with his back against the mattress.

"What are you doing, Sammy?"

"More research. Get some sleep, Dean. I'll be fine. I slept for the last couple of hours we were on the road."

"More research? On what exactly?"

"The list of names, places that Willow wants us to check out," Sam replied. "We're here to confirm the existence of their home, their friends and family, right?"

"Yeah."

"And then what, Dean?"

"What do you mean?"

"After we do that favor for her, then what?"

"We'll stick around a while," Dean shrugged. "You've been out of the game for a while, Sammy. Besides, what better place to learn of all the things now in our own world than in Sunnydale?"

"Dean—"

"You want to go back to school, don't you?"

"I have to."

"Right, whatever," Dean muttered as he fluffed the otherwise flat and useless pillow under his head. "While you're doing your thing, keep an eye out for anything that goes bump in the night. There's still a few more hours until sunrise."

As Dean easily drifted off to sleep, Sam clacked quietly at the keyboard, using the list of names Dean had at first reluctantly handed over to him after about a day on the road. He started with Buffy Summers, pulling up two different addresses for her. One was in an apartment complex and the other was on Revello Drive. Coping the addresses down, he moved on to Faith, finding just one address for her there in Sunnydale, the same one that came up first for Buffy. One by one he worked through the list, Rupert Giles being the hardest as he was unlisted and his address protected. He managed to find it through an old police record citing a break-in nearly six years ago.

When the first rays of sunlight streamed in through the dusty, partially open drapes, Sam closed his laptop and slipped out of the room without waking Dean. There was a small gas station just down the road and he walked there, the early morning sun warm and refreshing. He had a lot on his mind, much like he knew Dean did and he still couldn't help but wonder why Dean was so willing to help people he barely knew. After getting some coffee and surprisingly fresh donuts from the gas station, he headed back to the Sunnydale Motor Inn and quietly walked back into the room.

"I smell coffee," Dean muttered as he woke up. "And I'm up," he chuckled tiredly as Sam handed him a styrofoam cup of coffee. "What'd you find?"

"An address for everyone on the list. Including the ones that weren't in Cleveland."

"The ones that are supposed to be dead?" Dean asked and Sam nodded, pulling off the piece of paper from his notepad and handed it to him as he sat on the bed beside Dean's. "Did you get a map?"

Sam chuckled as he pulled the map he'd bought at the gas station out of his inner jacket pocket. "Like I'd forget," he grinned and he sipped his coffee. "So, what's the plan then? Stakeout?"

"For now," Dean nodded. "We're just gonna confirm this all exists. Once I call Willow later, we'll go from there."

They grabbed their things from the room, neither feeling too safe about leaving anything behind in the shady motel, and they headed for the Impala. The motel itself was a little bit outside of town, but it wasn't much of a drive down to the main stretch that ran through the town of Sunnydale. It was fairly busy down the main street and after they drove down a couple of streets, Sam pulled out the map and they found Revello Drive, it not being too far from where they ended up.

They easily found the Summers' home and Dean parked across the street, just a house down from 1630 and they drank their coffee in relative silence and waited. Shortly before nine, a woman with short blonde hair walked out the front door and picked up the morning paper off the front porch.

"Is that her?" Sam asked quietly as they watched her walk over to the Jeep parked in the driveway and get in. "Is that Buffy's mother?"

"You tell me, you're the one who read those articles on her. Was there a picture?"

"Yeah, a small one."

"Then we got nothing. She could be anyone."

"Let's follow her," Sam said as he tapped the dashboard. "Find out for sure."

Dean put the car into drive and tailed the Jeep through town. After nearly fifteen minutes, it finally came to a stop in front of the Gallery and the woman climbed out. She smiled at a few people as they walked by on the street before she unlocked the front door and disappeared inside.

"Yeah, it's her, definitely her," Dean said quietly and he turned to Sam. "Cross Joyce Summers off our list, Sammy. Let's just keep going."

"Dean…" Sam sighed as he turned in his seat to face him fully. "This place exists. Buffy's mother is alive. What more do they want?"

"I'm following through on the favor Willow asked me for," Dean replied and he grabbed the list and the map from Sam roughly. "If you got a problem with that, I'll drop you off at the motel and you can sulk there."

"Fine," Sam said as he grabbed the list and the map back from Dean and used a small pencil to cross Joyce Summers off the list. "I still think it's a waste of time."

"Think whatever you want, Sammy, and shut your cake-hole."

"I wasn't going to say anything!"

Dean clenched his jaw as he looked around the shops that lined the street. In a town like Sunnydale, it wouldn't be long before they'd stick out like a sore thumb, raising suspicions and they'd need a cover. Spotting a menswear store across the road, Dean made a upturn and looked over at Sam with a determined grin.

"We're gonna need a couple of suits, Sammy," Dean said and he ignored the eye roll as he climbed out of the car. "Now come on, we got a favor to fulfill and I want to get it done before lunch."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

It was a long day in Sunnydale, following up on everything that Willow had asked of Dean. Sam complained, but complied with his older brother's wishes, staying in character as they played the parts of two private investigators when people asked what they were doing, why they were asking questions about Buffy and her friends. Joyce Summers had been the one who drew the most suspicion when they caught her on her break at the Gallery, asking about Buffy and Dawn.

There was no right or wrong way to find out all they were asked to by Willow. There was no easy or hard way either, but Dean had no problem slipping into the role, yet Sam struggled slightly, soon finding his own voice and gathering his own answers in a distinctly different way than Dean. By the end of the day, they ended up at the Espresso Pump, eating pie and going over some of the notes that Sam had written down from those they had managed to track down. Joyce Summers, Tara Maclay and Anya Jenkins, former vengeance demon and co-owner of the Magic Box.

"Who is missing?" Dean asked as he dropped his fork to his empty plate, the house special cherry cheesecake pie being the best thing he'd had in a long time.

"Cordelia Chase," Sam replied quietly. "From what I can tell, she's no longer in Sunnydale and there's no record of her living anywhere else."

"What are you thinking? Dead? Vamp?"

"Not sure. She could be married," Sam replied with a shrug as he wrote a question mark beside her name on the list. "Or she could've moved to an entirely different state or country. When we get back to the motel, I'll dig a little deeper on her, see what comes up."

"Right," Dean nodded and he glanced outside the Espresso Pump, dusk slowly approaching. He pulled out a twenty and left it on the table before the two made their way just down the street where they'd parked the Impala. "You know, it's strange," Dean said as they got into the car. "Spending all those months with Faith, I got used to going out at night with her, hunt—patrolling."

"Are you saying you want to do that? Here? In _Sunnydale_?"

"That's not what I'm saying, just saying it's strange how I got used to it and still finding myself getting that urge even without her here."

"Are you ever gonna drop it, Dean?"

"Drop what?"

"This thing you have for her," Sam clarified. "She's with Buffy."

"Not when we left Cleveland, she wasn't."

"That's not my point and you know it."

"I know."

"You heard what Joyce told us about Buffy, that she was living with her girlfriend, a fellow Slayer named Faith Lehane. They've been together for nearly two years, Dean and whether they actually are or not, the people in their lives here believe that they are. You and I both know who Faith's heart belongs to and it will never be you, Dean."

Dean grunted as he slipped the key into the ignition. "I know that, Sam. Don't you think I keep trying to tell myself that?"

"What is it about her?"

"You gotta keep asking that?"

"I mean, she's gorgeous, yeah, I see that, but—"

"No chick has ever made me feel the way she does, okay?" Dean snapped and Sam nodded his head slowly, coiling back towards the door as if he was afraid Dean would smack him. "I had her, for two nights, and she said there was no spark. The worst thing about it? I felt it, she didn't."

"You gotta find yourself another girl, Dean. Plenty of them out there, you know. Whole wide world, I'm sure there's some girl out there that'll make you completely forget Faith Lehane."

"We're not talking about this," Dean said as he pulled out of the spot they were parked and turned the car around, heading back to the Sunnydale Motor Inn. "I'll call Willow when we get in and you just focus on this Cordelia Chase. Find her. Track her down, whatever, I don't care what you do, just do it."

Dean loosened his tie and drove through the streets of Sunnydale, noticing how empty the streets were becoming the darker it got outside. After about ten minutes, he pulled into the parking lot of the Sunnydale Motor Inn and Sam got out of the car, grabbed his stuff from the trunk and headed into their room. Dean waited until Sam was inside before he pulled out of the spot and headed back into town. He had a few things he wanted to look into without Sam around.

Ignoring his phone, knowing it was Sam, he drove towards the Gallery and came to a slow stop, eyes on the front windows, watching Joyce Summers as she instructed the delivery men where to put the dozens of large crates. Figuring he had some time, he drove to the Summers' house on Revello Drive and parked his car across the street. After checking to make sure his gun was safely holstered in the waistband of his pants, his picklock in his pocket, he grabbed the small flashlight out the backseat before making his way up the driveway and around to the back door of the house.

Dean wanted more answers than what he and Sam had been able to find out. The answers he needed were more complicated to ask anyone and he couldn't call Willow until he knew for sure. Picking the backdoor lock, Dean opened the door slowly and walked into the dark kitchen. He turned the flashlight on, careful to keep it from shining at any windows as to not alert the neighbors.

Exiting the kitchen into the hallway, Dean shone the flashlight on framed pictures hung on the wall, pictures of Buffy, Dawn and Joyce. Moving towards the stairs, he listened carefully to make sure the house was truly empty before heading up the stairs to the second floor. The first room he checked was obviously Joyce's bedroom and he moved on to the next, Dawn's room. The last was Buffy's and there were boxes around the room, the bed made up neatly, posters hung on the wall and pictures lined the wall by the dresser.

Dean grabbed his cell out of his pocket as it rang again and he quickly shut it off as he shone the light on the pictures on the wall. They were pictures of Buffy and her friends and he noticed that Faith was in a lot of them. He pulled one off the wall that caught his eye, the sticky tack giving way easily. Faith and Buffy were sitting on the front porch of the house, Faith's arm around Buffy's shoulders and the two not paying attention to the camera as they smiled at each other. Turning the photo over, there was a date written on the back. September 18th 2002 with a heart drawn around it. Dean shook his head and stuck the picture back where it belonged and he opened the dresser drawers, most of them empty.

_Makes sense, Joyce said Buffy was living with Faith now_, Dean thought as he moved to the table beside the bed and opened the drawer. Inside he found an old diary, a few small stakes and other random things. He pulled out the diary and pocketed it before checking out the rest of the room and finding nothing else.

Dean moved quickly when he heard a car pull into the driveway and he raced down the stairs and through the kitchen to the back door. He barely made it out before the front door was unlocked and the lights turned on as Joyce walked into the house. Breathing a sigh of relief, he headed back to his car and turned his cell back on and called Sam.

"Sam, it's me," Dean said when Sam answered the phone.

_"What are you doing?"_ Sam sounded pissed and curious at the same time. _"You just took off!"_

"I had something I needed to do."

_"Without me."_

"Did you find anything on Cordelia Chase?"

_"Yeah, I did actually. She'd been living in LA since they graduated, but she just recently moved back,"_ Sam replied and Dean could hear him typing on his laptop quickly. _"I've got an address. She's unlisted which is why we couldn't find her earlier. Where are you?"_

"I'll be back soon. I got what I needed."

_"What are you talking about? Dean?"_

Dean hung up and pulled away from the curb. He pulled out the small diary and tossed it on to the seat beside him. When he hit a red light, he laughed as he came to a stop. What was he doing? Breaking and entering all for a stupid diary? It could end up holding all the answers that Willow needed to know, wanted to know, and there was a possibility that it wasn't what it appeared to be. Shaking his head as the light turned green, he stepped on the gas and headed back to the motel. Halfway there, he pulled over to the side of the road and turned down the radio as he pulled his cell out and found Willow's number. Hitting dial, he waited as the line began to ring.

* * *

_March 31st - Cleveland, Ohio_

Faith shoved the rest of her clothes into her duffel bag, listening to the sound of the others in the house as they discussed the plans for the day. The only ones returning to Sunnydale were Buffy and the Scooby gang and Faith. The rest, the young slayers and Andrew, were staying behind in Cleveland at the old Watcher's compound where they would continue to live and train as they had been since they first arrived, all the while keeping the city safe and protecting the Hellmouth.

It had been just over a week since their lives had changed dramatically. Faith was still trying to let it all sink in, trying hard to remember that once they all returned to Sunnydale, they would need to play the role of who they were to the people around them and try to pull it off flawlessly. How would any of them explain how time travel worked when they just barely understood it themselves?

A week ago they'd learned, thanks to Dean and Sam's surprise trip to Sunnydale, that they had gone on a week-long trip to Cleveland to touch base with the young slayers there. It was sort of a vacation for them as well, from one Hellmouth to another, from the warmth and sun in California to the cold, dreary gray days in Ohio.

"Hey," Buffy said as she quietly tapped on the partially open door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Just about," Faith replied as she picked up the last piece of clothing, her favorite pair of jeans and shoved them inside the bag before zipping it up quickly. "When are we flying out?"

"Less than half an hour," Buffy replied and Faith noticed she had a pink suitcase sitting by her feet. "The chopper will take us to the private airport just south of here and from there, we'll take the private jet. Non-stop to Sunnydale."

"Who knew you guys had one, huh?" Faith chuckled as she slung the strap over her shoulder and glance around the room quickly to make sure she hadn't left anything behind.

"I sure didn't know," Buffy replied and she picked up her suitcase as Faith stepped out into the hallway. "But, as Giles explained, it was one of many unused assets the old Council had. Even he was surprised when he found the log book in his desk."

"Sure beats flying with a plane full of strangers and crying babies and the like," Faith replied as they headed for the stairs together. "And we get to skip the whole airport deal too."

"I read it," Buffy said quietly as they descended down the stairs. "The diary Dean sent us. My diary. I read it last night."

"You read it?" Faith was confused since when it arrived, Buffy refused to read it, not wanting to know the things it had said, too afraid yet she never said it aloud. "Well, don't leave me hanging, B."

"It said a lot of what we already know, but it filled in some of the blanks."

"Like?"

"Us."

Faith stopped halfway down the stairs as Buffy did. "What about us, B?"

"It was…different than the way it was between us. We didn't fight—much," she said and they both chuckled quietly. "We really worked well together and I loved slaying with you. Not that I didn't…before, but—"

"I get it," Faith nodded. "So, what else did it say about us?"

"We were best friends, Faith. From the summer after high school graduation up until the time we faced Glory and won. After that…" Buffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "After that, something changed. We spent all our time together and then one entry turned to another and it was some kind of whirlwind romance that made that summer, and I am quoting from the diary here, the best summer of my life because I'd finally fallen in love and felt…complete."

"But that isn't us, B."

"It is," she whispered. "I know it's not how our life really went, but to everyone that is in our lives _now_, that is how it happened. Once we get back to Sunnydale, they're expecting us to be who they know, not the way we really are. They don't know any difference, Faith. I—I don't know if I can do this."

"Do what? Go back to our otherwise perfect lives in Sunnydale?"

"Play the role of alternate universe Buffy!" She exclaimed and she frowned as Faith just stood there staring at her, lips pressed tightly together. "Faith, you heard the same things that I did when Willow read from that Watcher's diary. We are _living_ together. We are living together as this perfect happy little lesbian couple! I don't know if I can do this!"

Faith could see Buffy on the verge of yet another emotional breakdown. She, out of everyone, wasn't adapting to the change quite easily. She was constantly fighting this inner war with herself and even though she never verbally expressed it, Faith could see it, she could see the storm clouds every time she so much as looked at Buffy when she actually let her guard down.

"Look, it won't be as hard as you think it's gonna be," Faith said quietly and she glanced down at the others as they gathered by the front door. "You remember what Willow said, right? That if we're acting out of the ordinary, too many questions are gonna be asked, questions we can't exactly answer without more questions to follow. I don't know about you, but I'm willing to give this whole new life a shot. So, we're together, no big deal. It's not like we haven't slept together or anything," she said with a wink and she could see the storm clouds in Buffy's eyes drifting away, slowly yet surely. "We'll figure it out as we go along, but we're not gonna get through this if we don't work together, B. It's gonna be hard, cos well, obvious reasons, but I know you and you're one hell of a woman and if anyone can get through this pretty much flawlessly, it's you."

"I'm pretty sure that was a line," Buffy said, a small smile curling over her lips.

"Was it?"

"Sounded like one."

"Don't need any lines, B," Faith said with a wink. "In this version of our life, I've already done the whole wine, dine, and romance you and sweep you off your feet thing."

"Hey!" Buffy said as she reached out and punched Faith in the shoulder. "That doesn't mean you just get to get me naked whenever you want!"

"Worked last night, didn't it?"

"Asshole."

Buffy smirked as she continued down the stairs and joined the others at the front door. Faith laughed quietly to herself before following her, knowing what she said had worked on Buffy, that it had kept her from reaching the edge of yet another breakdown. Over the last week, seeing Buffy so distraught had been alarming. Faith had never known anyone stronger than Buffy, never known anyone other than herself that could quickly adapt to the changes around her and in her life.

In the past week, not a night went by that Faith didn't spend it in Buffy's bed, majority of the time having been dragged in there by Buffy herself. She wasn't sure what was going on between them, all she knew was that she was enjoying every minute they shared together privately. The more they learned about their lives in this version of the world, the more Faith realized that this might just be her true second chance and that she'd have to do everything and anything to make sure she didn't screw it up for herself.

The first few days after had been touch and go for all of them, everyone waiting for that big "ha ha" to echo through the air and the big reveal that this was some big, cosmic joke the Powers That Be were playing on them. But the Powers That Be didn't have a hand in this, it had been the Goddess and this was her gift. And it wasn't just Buffy going through an emotional turmoil, it was everyone, each of them trying to come to terms with realizing their lives were now how they wanted it to turn out in the first place. Buffy and Dawn's mother was alive, Willow had Tara back, Xander had Anya, and Giles had Jenny, although he couldn't find any evidence as to whether they were together or simply just friends.

"Are you all ready to go, ladies?" Xander asked, smiling as he opened the front door. "Chopper is all ready to go."

"I'll be right with you," Willow said and she turned to look over at Kennedy as she stood with the other junior slayers, waiting to the side of the foyer. "I—I need to say goodbye," she said as she handed her bags to Xander and turned to Kennedy, both of them walking down the hallway and disappearing into an empty, quiet room to say their goodbye's privately.

Nobody said a word as they headed towards the landing pad, the chopper waiting with Andrew co-piloting with Vi at his side. One by one they loaded up their luggage and climbed on board and they waited in silence for Willow. After five minutes, she finally climbed on board, the chopper almost immediately lifting off once the door was shut and locked.

"Hey, are you okay, Wil?" Buffy asked as Willow sat next to her and quickly strapped herself in.

"No," Willow said quietly and Faith could see the tears forming in her eyes from where she sat across from her and Buffy. "I feel like we just broke up. I guess we did, technically, since we were never together in this life."

"You have Tara waiting for you to come home."

"I love Kennedy," she sighed and she furiously wiped away her tears as they fell. "I love her too, Buffy, but I never could truly love her in the way that I did with Tara."

"I know," Buffy smiled at her and they shared a small hug, the seat restraints not giving them much room to move. "Kennedy knows that you love her, she always will, but she knows she can't have you when your heart still belongs to Tara."

"I just—I can't believe she's…alive. I don't know what I'm going to do when I see her, Buffy. I don't know if I can handle seeing her again."

"I know," Buffy whispered as she reached for Willow's hand and held it tight. "None of us know what lies ahead waiting for us. We all have someone back who was taken from us, people we never thought we'd see again ever. But, we have each other and we're not alone."

"We should be happy," Willow chuckled as the tears kept flowing. "This is a gift. It's not just a paradox of time travel and because you and Faith killed Nereza. This whole thing is a gift, giving us what our hearts craved the most, the people we loved and lost to be found and given back to us again."

"Yeah, you're right, we should be happy."

"We've got four hours to work on that."

"That we do."

Faith couldn't help but smile as Buffy looked over at her, smiling as her eyes brimmed with tears, a mix of happy and scared tears. As the chopper started to descend, Faith knew they were just that much closer to returning to Sunnydale and to a life they only knew from what they'd read and from the things that Dean and Sam had told them over the many phone calls they'd exchanged in the last week. It would only be a matter of time before the true reality of the situation hit each and every one of them and no matter how well prepared they thought they all were, Faith knew that nothing could prepare them for what was waiting in Sunnydale.

* * *

For four hours, Faith sat in her seat, the seatbelt on the entire time, and she tried not to think of how high they were in the air, how fast they were flying. She was a terrible flyer and she'd always hated planes, hated flying. The whole thing grated on her nerves like no tomorrow and not even a few drinks that Giles had given her had done a thing to calm her down.

Yet, as soon as they were on solid ground again, she felt weak as she stood up from her seat and walked towards the plane door, exiting after the others. The warm afternoon sun hit her hard. The rays tingled her exposed skin, reminding her that she'd spent the last three weeks in the cold and dreary late-winter weather in Ohio. The basking was quickly over as soon as they walked down the tarmac to the small hangar—the only one at the private airport about an hour outside of Sunnydale. Faith knew that all those they believed her dead and gone were inside that very hangar, waiting to welcome them home after just a week of them away.

"I don't know if I can do this," Buffy whispered as she reached for Faith's hand, their fingers intertwining instantly as they slowed their pace down, falling behind the others who walked ahead quickly.

"You can, B."

"I keep thinking this is some cruel joke," she said as she looked at the others as they entered the hangar. "I keep waiting to wake up, to realize this was some dream too."

"I know exactly what you mean," Faith said and she pulled Buffy along, eager just to get this all over and done with. "Even if it turns out to be some cruel joke, a dream, or whatever, I just wanna say that this past week has been frigging awesome. Wouldn't change it for anything."

Giving Buffy's hand one last squeeze, the entered the hangar together. Faith felt Buffy hold on to her hand tighter as they looked around at the others. Tara and Willow were hugging and crying, Tara seemingly having no idea why Willow was so upset and yet so happy at the same time to see her. Anya was dragging a speechless Xander towards the exit, going on and on about making up for the last week and how she couldn't get him naked in front of everyone else. Dean was waiting off to the side and there was no one else.

"She's not here," Dawn said as she walked up to Buffy. "Dean said she's caught up at the Gallery, a late shipment came in she had to deal with."

"Oh."

"Faith?"

Faith froze as she heard the voice of the woman she never thought she'd see again. Dropping Buffy's hand, she turned towards Diana Dormer and felt the tears spring up before she could push them down. Diana was smiling as she stood there, both hands on her sensible pocketbook she held in front of her, her graying light brown hair neatly pulled back into a bun and her glasses perched on her nose and sliding down as her smile grew bigger.

"Faith, I trust you have had a good trip?" Diana asked and she could only nod, her tongue and lips unable to form words. "Rupert," Diana said as Giles moved to stand next to Faith. "Everything going as scheduled in Cleveland? No problems that we will need to address?"

"None at all," he replied with a shake of his head. "It's all been taken care of during our trip. The organization there is thriving and doing wonderfully."

"Good, wonderful," Diana smiled. "It's nice to have you all back home," she said in a soft, soothing voice. "Heaven's knows the demons and vampires haven't missed your presence here at all. I would suggest a full patrol tonight, covering as much ground as you can. It seems that the population of darkness has risen slightly since your departure."

Faith turned to look at Giles, still unable to speak. Seeing Diana again was more than just a shock at hearing that she was alive, that Kakistos never kidnapped and killed her.

"Shall we?" Diana said as she motioned towards the others as they were leaving. "I will give you and Dawn a ride home," Diana said to Giles and she pulled out a set of keys from inside her pocketbook and held them out to Faith. "Rupert, shall we take their luggage? Surely even as slayers, they cannot ride a motorcycle and carry their own luggage at the same time."

"Motorcycle?" Faith said under her breath as she turned to Buffy.

"I'll take their stuff," Dean said with a charming smile. "I'll follow them back to their place, it's not a big deal."

"Are you sure?" Diana asked him and he just nodded as Faith shrugged off the strap and handed her bag to him. "Faith, I expect you to check in before patrol as usual and I expect you no later than eight."

"Okay," Faith replied in a hoarse whisper and she forced a smile as she watch Diana turn and lead the way out of the hangar, Giles and Dawn following hesitantly. "A motorcycle?" Faith said as she turned to Dean. "Is it mine?"

"Yep," he grinned and he took Buffy's pink suitcase from her. "I'll follow or lead the way if you—"

"I know the way," Faith cut him off. "What are you still doing in Sunnydale, Dean?"

"Well, I figured since I've stuck around here for a week and I probably know your "lives" a lot more than you do, thought I'd stick around a little while longer and help you adjust or whatever."

"What exactly have you been doing this past week?"

"Playing detective," Dean chuckled. "Literally. You know, Diana is a smart woman. She caught on pretty damn quick and knew that Sam and I aren't who we said we were. She said we came through town before with our dad and that we helped you two with a few demon's that were causing problems. Aside from her, nobody else remembered us."

"Huh."

"Come on," Dean said as he started walking towards the exit. "I'm sure you can't wait to test out that beauty that's parked outside."

"It's really mine?"

Dean nodded as they stepped outside the hangar and back out into the sunlight. Parked beside the Impala was a beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycle, red and black and a bit smaller than the usual size. Faith glanced down at the keys in her hand and just smiled at the overwhelming feeling that was growing inside her.

"For real?" Faith asked as she circled the motorcycle. "How—how the hell could I even afford something like this?"

"Giles. After last May, all those assets that he talked about? He's put them to use here too, just not on such an elaborate scale like what we saw in Cleveland."

"I—"

"Why don't we go to your place and I'll catch you two up?" Dean suggested as he popped the trunk of the Impala and loaded up their luggage. He grinned and slammed the trunk shut before climbing into the car and turned over the engine.

"Have you ever drove one of these before?" Buffy asked nervously. Faith nodded and grabbed one of the helmets and slipped it on before grabbing the other strapped to the back and handed it to Buffy. "When?"

"When I was younger, back in Boston. Granted, it was a dirt bike, a bit different than this, but still virtually the same thing."

"How much younger?"

"Does it matter?" Faith asked as she straddled the bike and ran her hands over the handlebars slowly. "Come on, B, get on would ya?"

Buffy moved slowly, first pulling on the helmet before she got on the bike behind Faith and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. Faith fired up the motorcycle, the sheer power of it rumbling through her body as she pulled up the kickstand and pulled away from beside Dean's car. It took her a minute before she felt like she'd done this a million times before and she headed for the airport exit and made a left, the motorcycle zooming effortlessly down the two-lane road.

_If this ends up being a cruel joke, I'm gonna be wicked pissed,_ Faith thought as she kept her focus on the road ahead. They had a long drive ahead of them and she could feel the tension rolling off of Buffy in waves. All that stressing out about seeing her mother again had been magnified with her lack of an appearance when they got off the plane. Faith knew that all Buffy wanted now was to get it over with, to face her mother again for the first time in years, to make all of this seem real even when it still didn't feel like it.

Faith slowed down once they reached the outskirts of Sunnydale and the hill they were on gave them a perfect view of the town below. She turned off the bike and they got off together and moved to the edge of the road, looking out at a town they had both believed for the last nearly eleven months was gone forever.

"This doesn't feel real," Buffy whispered, one hand holding her helmet and the other clutching on to Faith's hand. "But it is, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Faith said quietly. "It's there. Just like I remember it."

"Why did we stay?"

"What do you mean, B?"

"If the new slayers went to Cleveland, why did we stay here?"

"Cos we belong here and the Hellmouth needs a slayer or two to stick around. Besides, your family is here, B. I know you could never just leave them and move to a different city just cos there is another Hellmouth somewhere else."

"Can we really do this?" Buffy asked as she kept her eyes trained on the town laid out below them. "Do you think we can really do this, Faith?"

_Do we have a choice?_ "Yeah, B. We can and we will. It ain't gonna be easy, we both know that, but we gotta at least give it a shot, right? Here's our chance, a second chance. It's right there within reach now. Everything we loved and lost has been given back to us."

"And yet I can't help but think that there are going to be some major consequences that'll follow. Everything happens for a reason, Faith, and everything was changed. What if Fate decides that this isn't how it's supposed to be and takes them all away from us again?"

"Whatever happens, B," Faith said as she turned to her, "just know I ain't going anywhere, okay? No matter how hard shit gets, I'm gonna be right here with you and we're gonna deal with it together."

"Together?"

Faith nodded, smiling as Buffy stared long and hard into her eyes. "Of course, B. You and me, the Chosen Two. Can't throw anything our way that we can't deal with as long as we do it together. I'm starting to figure that out that we should've stuck together all this time instead of fighting and me leaving the way I did. You and me? We're stuck with each other now."

"Great," Buffy said, playfully rolling her eyes and they both laughed. "Let's do this then, Faith. I'm ready. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Faith stood just inside the entrance to the apartment, her apartment, hers _and_ Buffy's apartment. It was so similar to the way it'd been when the Mayor had given it to her, but it wasn't at the same time. The furniture was different, the colors, even the walls were painted differently than before, stark white, and everything was clean, no clutter, not even a spot of dust or dirt, nothing broken within sight. Buffy was standing at her side, a platitude of emotions running through her mind, no doubt remembering the last time she was in there and the outcome of the fight the two of them had.

"Girls? A little help here?" Dean grunted as he tried to carry Buffy's suitcase and Faith's duffel bag into the door, trying in vain not to drop either. Faith took hers from him and tossed it to the floor and motioned for him just to put Buffy's down as well. Sighing in relief, Dean walked into the apartment and looked around. "Nice digs, Lehane."

"Uh, thanks," Faith murmured and she turned to Buffy. "It's not just mine though, B—Buffy lives here too."

"Of course," Dean chuckled as he noted the pink pillow on the bed. "Like you'd ever have something as girly and frilly as this," he winked as he tossed the pillow at her that she easily caught. She threw it back at him and he tossed it back on the bed.

Dean was right though. Faith noticed that there were little touches all over the studio apartment that screamed Buffy. It was almost a perfect mix of them both, of their tastes and styles and even though it was different, it all flowed together nicely. She walked further into the apartment while Buffy stayed by the door.

"You got any beer?" Dean asked as he headed for the kitchen.

"I don't know, check," Faith called out. "And get me one if there is any, would ya?"

"This is weird, Faith," Buffy said quietly as she stayed where she was, her feet seemingly glued to the floor. "How come this is the same apartment as the one the Mayor—"

"Don't know, B," she said and she walked over to the plush purple couch and sat down. "Dean, is there beer?" She called out and he walked out of the kitchen carrying three bottles of beer. "Oh thank god."

"Kitchen is stocked with food," he said as he sat down on the other end of the couch and pulled his gun out from the back of his pants and placed it on the coffee table.

"It is?"

"And there's a note from Buffy's mom, reminding you two that she's coming for lunch tomorrow."

"She is?" Buffy squeaked, eyes wide as she tentatively made her way over to the couch and sat between Faith and Dean. She grabbed the third beer from Dean and cracked open the cap and nearly downed the entire bottle in one go. "Okay, Dean, tell us what you know that you haven't already told us."

"I've been picking up some of the slack," he replied. "Hunting—uh, patrolling," he quickly corrected himself. "There's definitely no shortage of vamps around Sunnydale. At least they're not the kind I'm used to dealing with. Less mess, less hassle, stake to the heart and poof. I've been experimenting with wooden bullets too. Sam had the idea actually. They seem to work like a charm. I've actually been spending the last couple of days with your Watcher, Faith. She's a wonderful lady. Bossy, demanding, but she's been teaching me a few moves that have come in handy as of late."

"You're spending time with Di? How the hell did that happen?"

"Look, I told you, she remembered Sam and I from when we rolled through town a few years back and we helped you two out with a big demon nesting problem. She knows who we are, what we do. She actually asked if we'd stick around for a while. I think she just likes to torture us during training."

"You're _training_ with her?" Faith asked incredulously. "Why?"

"Figured it wouldn't hurt to get in some quality training while we're here, you know?" Dean said with a shrug. "Plus, what's the odds I'll ever be trained in the ways that a slayer is? Once Sam and I leave, seeing how the world is as it is now, we're gonna need all the knowledge we can get."

"Does anyone else know who you are?" Buffy asked him quietly and he took a sip of his beer before nodding his head. "Who?"

"All of them."

"Be a little more specific."

"Your mom, Tara, Jenny, Anya, Cordelia," Dean replied. "We've been using the training room at the Magic Box. Diana explained to them who we are."

"And just how much does she know about why you and Sam are here?"

"She only knows what I've told her," Dean replied. "And what I told her was we were passing through town and we hadn't heard from you or Faith in a while and we were curious."

"Curious? And she fell for that?" Faith asked him skeptically.

Dean groaned quietly. "She got it all outta me. Never underestimate a woman like her. She read right through the lies we fed her and she threatened to have us thrown in jail for stalking if we didn't tell her the truth about why we are really in Sunnydale."

"You _told_ her?" Faith asked, eyes wide. "And she believed you?"

"Yeah, but we really didn't have a choice," he nodded. "She's been doing some research. Her and Sam have been working together actually, trying to piece together all that they can about this whole frigging messed up situation."

"Have they found anything?"

"Nothing more than what we already knew before we came to Sunnydale," Dean replied. "Look, Faith, Diana told us she'll keep our secret, mainly because the others are likely not to react well to hearing that their lives had been changed and they don't even have the slightest clue that it has. She's been trying to find out why and how our world's collided and if there is some way to reverse it."

"How? Magic?" Buffy asked and he nodded. "We're in this whole mess because of magic! I'm done. No more life-altering magic or spells or time travel, none of it."

"Way to be wicked insensitive, B," Faith scoffed. "In case you've forgotten, Dean and Sam? This isn't their world, Buffy. If there is even remotely a chance we can make it the way it was—for him and Sam—then I say we oughta try it, you know?"

"There isn't," Dean said quietly. "Diana said there are string theories, but there is no way to undo what has been done. To do something like that would require more magic than what this universe holds, more magic than what has ever existed before. The thing with the Goddess, she was able to help Willow with the time travel spell, using her own power. If she was still alive—"

"We'd be facing the worst of the worst right now and we'd be dead," Buffy deadpanned. "This isn't an ideal situation, I know that, but I'd rather this than be dead or fighting for my life and end up dead anyway. Again."

"Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"Actually," Dean said as he cleared his throat. "It has. Once."

"Our Goddess?" Faith asked and he nodded. "When?"

"In the sixteenth century, although it wasn't on such as large of a scale as this, but she altered events in time to bring together two young lovers that were destined to be together, but by the time they were even old enough, the boy died at the hands of his estranged father. And before you ask any more questions, no I don't know anything else or who they were, there was just a small mention in a very, very old Watcher's diary that Diana has."

"This is crazy," Faith sighed as she stood up from the couch and wandered around the apartment. "Here we are, back in Sunnydale, living a life we never actually lived through. Just how are we gonna pull this off?"

"_Now_ do you see why I've been freaking out?" Buffy asked pointedly.

"According to everyone here, you did live through this life."

"This is going to get wicked confusing and fast," Faith said and she took a sip of her beer. "We're gonna have to tell them all the truth, sooner or later."

"They'll think we're crazy."

"So what if they think we are, B? It's better than having to live a lie!"

"They won't think you're crazy if you have proof," Dean said and the two slayers looked over at him questionably. "Diana found some things that made her believe what we told her. Articles, books on the recent history in Sunnydale, even old news reels she dug up at the local station. Not everything changed to fit this—this reality. Some of the original is there, you just got to know where to find it."

"Exactly how much proof does she have?" Buffy asked as she turned on the couch to face him. "A few articles, an old news clip, and a book isn't much to go by."

"Oh, and this," Dean said as he pulled out a CD case from his inner pocket of his jacket. "Swiped this from Andrew back in Cleveland, when we were still at the hotel. His recordings from when you guys were in Sunnydale, the potentials, everyone he turned the camera on. And then a day later, retelling the tale of the battle on the Hellmouth and the destruction that followed. There's footage on there too from a week after the destruction from a nearby town whose new station covered the mysterious collapse of the entire town."

"Nobody is going to believe it," Buffy said as she snatched the case from Dean's hands. "And he told me he lost his camera! Oh, I could _kill_ him."

"B?" Faith tried not to laugh as she gripped onto the case tight, the plastic cracking under the pressure. "Might not want to destroy that. It might be the only thing we have that can prove everything else."

Faith gently grabbed the CD case out of Buffy's hand and placed it down on the coffee table. Sighing heavily, she sat back down beside Buffy and took another sip of her cold beer. Being in Sunnydale again felt more than surreal, it felt more than just a dream. There was no telling how the others were reacting to being back to the place their lives all really started for them that led them to where they were, where they are now. She worried though, about Willow. She knew the impact that Tara's death had had on her and she'd heard the stories from Willow herself of her time as Dark Willow and how she nearly destroyed the whole world because of her grief over losing her one true love.

She worried about Dawn, not knowing how she was going to react to being back in her house, to seeing her mother again and likely before Buffy would. She worried about Xander too, also having heard the stories of his and Anya's relationship. Laughing as she thought of Xander being ravished by Anya, she didn't worry that much about him. What she did worry was the fact that he might let it slip, let it all out, the truth and Anya would be the one to completely blow things out of proportion and ruining any chance any of them had of convincing the others of what had really happened.

Dean's cell rang and he walked into the kitchen to take the call in private, mouthing before he did that it was Sam. Faith downed the rest of her beer and tried to relax as she sat back on the couch, but the knot of tension was getting worse as it built up in the back of her neck and brought on one hell of a headache.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked quietly and Faith nodded her head slowly. "This is just too much, isn't it?"

"We'll figure it out," she replied, forcing a smile, trying to stay strong. "Told ya we would, didn't I?"

"And us?"

Faith shrugged. "Ya don't gotta stay here if ya don't want to, B. It wigs ya, I can tell. Fucking is one thing, but living together? Ya might try to kill me before we make it past a couple of days."

"The past week has been…nice, Faith," Buffy whispered quietly, a shy smile dancing over her lips. "I kind of don't want that part of us to be over."

"You wanna keep screwing?" Faith chuckled as Buffy moved closer to her, slowly nodding her head yes. "But, you want more? I don't know if I'm cut out for—"

"In this version of our lives, Faith, we've been together for what, almost two years?"

_A year and a half, officially, _Faith thought to herself. _And living together for the past eight months._

"If you are capable of having a relationship in this version of our lives, maybe you are cut out for it. Have you ever even tried?" Buffy asked and Faith was stoic, not sure how to answer that question. Buffy slid closer to her and trailed her fingers over Faith's shoulder. "Do you even want to try or is all you want is to fuck with no strings attached?"

_She's baiting me, I know it. She wants more and god knows I do, but what if I screw it all up? I don't think I can handle that. I don't wanna break her heart._

"What are you so afraid of?" Buffy whispered, her fingers trailing over the side of Faith's neck, brushing aside her hair. "Nothing really has to change." Buffy fluidly moved to straddle Faith's legs and she smiled at her as Faith instantly placed her hands on Buffy's hips. "Except I can do this whenever I want."

"Oh yeah?" Faith raised an eyebrow. "And what else?"

"This," Buffy said as she leaned in to kiss her, keeping it light and sweet. "Whenever I want."

"What else, B?"

"Dates. We go out on dates and no, patrolling doesn't count as a date either."

Faith chuckled. "I can do that."

"We've technically already been on one date so far. That night at the club, even though we weren't there alone, that totally turned into a date for us."

"Sounds easy then."

"It can be," Buffy said softly and she smiled at Faith again. "But relationships need work. All the time. I want us to be able to talk to each other and yes, I know it's never been easy for us, but we've been doing pretty good lately, haven't we?"

"Sure."

Buffy laughed as she loosely draped her arms around Faith's shoulders. "Here's where that whole talking thing comes in handy."

"Not sure what to say, B."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Aside from the obvious?" Faith asked and she laughed as Buffy stared at her pointedly. "You really think we can do this?"

"If you asked me that three weeks ago…"

"You'd probably have punched me," she laughed with a shake of her head.

"I really think we can do this," Buffy said softly as she leaned in closer to Faith, licking over her lips slowly. "I mean, the sex is amazing."

"Cos it's us, B. Of course it's amazing. It's frigging mind-blowing."

Buffy rolled her eyes while smiling sweetly at Faith. Neither seemed to care that Dean was just in the kitchen as their lips met in a heated kiss, one that had been building up for far longer than the obvious.

* * *

Dean paced around the small kitchen as he listened to Sam talk quickly on the other end of the line. His attention wasn't fully on Sam, but on the moans and gasps coming from the living room.

_"…Diana said the consequences could happen at any time and we won't know what they are or how to stop them."_

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked as he stopped pacing. "What consequences?"

_"Dean, have you been listening to a word I just said?"_

"Uh yeah."

_"The scale of magic that was used to make all of this possible will not have been used without consequences."_

"And we have no idea what they are or when it'll happen."

_"That is exactly what I've been saying!"_

"So, what are we going to do then?" Dean asked. "Sit back and wait for it to happen?"

_"It's already happening,"_ Sam said urgently. _"That's what I'm trying to tell you! You really haven't been paying attention, have you?"_

Dean scratched the back of his head before switching his phone and holding up to his left ear. "What happened, Sammy?"

_"What do you know about Angel?"_

"Not much," Dean replied quietly. "What about Angel?"

_"He's still alive, well, alive in the whole undead sense,"_ Sam replied. _"In this world, Buffy killed him years ago, long before he could torture her friends and family and kill a lot of innocent people, one of which is Jenny Calendar."_

"Is that a consequence? That some vampire with a soul is still alive? He was still "alive" before this all happened. Maybe because he's a vampire the spell didn't work on him?"

_"We're trying to figure that out actually. Why don't you come to Diana's place and we'll fill you in on what else we've found."_

Dean sighed heavily. "I'll be there soon."

_"And Dean? Bring Faith and Buffy with you,"_ Sam said before Dean could hang up the phone.

"They're a little preoccupied at the moment, Sammy."

_"Just bring them. Giles is rounding the others up right now, calling for an emergency Scooby meeting, whatever that is."_

Dean hung up the phone and shook his head. He grabbed his beer off the counter and hesitated before finishing it off. He clear his throat before he walked out of the kitchen, but obviously Faith and Buffy were too into each other to pay attention to anything else.

"Yo, we gotta go," Dean said as he made his way to the door quickly.

"What?" Faith asked breathlessly as Buffy moved off of her lap. "Where are we going?"

"Emergency Scooby meeting."

"For?" Buffy asked as she and Faith both stood up from the couch. "Who called the meeting?"

"Giles."

"And what is it for?" Buffy asked him again.

"It'll be better if you two just come with me. We're gonna meet up with the other's at Diana's place and they can fill us all in on what the hell is going on here."

"Look, dude, we've all had a drink. I know you can handle your booze, but none of us are driving anywhere," Faith said as she grabbed on to his jacket and pulled him back into the apartment as he tried to walk out. "Are you deaf?"

"Diana's place is just down the street," Dean replied. "We'll walk."

"It'll be dark soon," Buffy said and Faith nodded. "We should grab some weapons, just in case."

Buffy walked over to the huge wardrobe closet along the wall near the bed and pulled the doors open. She laughed as she opened up the lid of the weapon's chest and easily tossed Faith a smooth, polished stake. Dean barely caught the one she tossed at him and she closed the chest and the wardrobe doors as she tucked her own stake into the inner pocket of her jean jacket.

"Just stakes?" Dean asked as he looked at the one in his hand. It was smaller than the ones he'd used before. "This is Sunnydale."

"Exactly," Buffy nodded. "Early evening. The only monsters coming out to play are the vampires stupid enough to come out looking for trouble."

Dean tried not to notice how overly affectionate Buffy was being as they walked down the stairwell. She was holding on to Faith's hand and they were whispering back and forth and laughing. He had never heard Faith laugh like that before, it was almost a giggle and he shook his head, chuckling to himself as he held the front door open for them and let them pass through first before he stepped outside.

Leading the way down the street to Diana's apartment, he waited for Faith's reaction as they came to a stop in front of the building. He turned to her with a smile on his face and she raised her eyebrow as she let go of Buffy's hand.

"Why are we stopping?"

"We're here."

"Dude, Di has a place over a pizza joint? Score!" Faith laughed and she reached for the front door, finding it welded shut. "What the hell?"

"My reaction exactly," Dean chuckled and he walked around to the narrow alleyway and headed around to the back door. "The pizza place is just a front," he explained and he knocked on the back door a few times and stepped back. "She stores all her books and supplies down there. She used to use it as a training room before Giles bought the Magic Box and converted the back room in there for you two to use."

"What a rip," Faith muttered. "I'm starving and here I thought we'd get some pizza!"

"We could always order?" Buffy suggested and Faith shrugged her shoulders.

"About time," Sam said as he opened the door. "What kept you?"

"It's been like ten minutes, Sammy."

"It's a five minute walk, Dean."

"Tell that to the two lust bunnies," he muttered as he walked past Sam and headed up the stairs to Diana's place.

"Lust bunnies?" Faith whispered to Buffy just loud enough for him to hear. "I'm so gonna kick his ass for that."

"Stop," Buffy laughed as they reached the top of the stairs and walked into Diana's apartment together. "Gang's all here," Buffy said with a smile as she stayed close to Faith. "So, what's with the emergency meeting? I mean, we've barely been back for an hour and already we're having an emergency meeting?"

"Angel is still alive," Willow blurted out.

"He's not Angel," Dawn said quickly. "He's Angelus."

"What?" Buffy asked loudly. "Are you kidding me?" She turned to Giles and then looked at Willow. "You told me I killed him!"

"That's what happened," Diana spoke up. "But it appears that it did not. We believe this is one of the many consequences that will come."

"How long?" Buffy asked, gritting her teeth and Dean stepped away from her, sensing how angry she was and even though she was tiny, she was a slayer and he was actually scared of her. "How long has he been Angelus?"

"Six years," Willow frowned.

"Six years? And why haven't we done anything to fix that?"

"Fix that?" Dean spoke up. "What are you talking about?"

"Putting his soul back inside of him, making him who he is!"

"Buffy—"

"What, Willow?"

"His soul no longer exists because in this world, this version of our life, you killed him and his soul departed. There's no way to get it back. I've already tried."

"Tried? We haven't even been back in Sunnydale for an hour and you've already tried?"

"Tara, she—she knew right away something was different," Willow said softly, changing the subject quickly, and she looked over at Tara as she sat on a chair away from the others. "She knows this isn't our life and that we don't belong here."

"She is quite right," Giles spoke up. "We _don't_ belong here. The world didn't change, not this one and not ours," he said as the room fell silent and all eyes were on him. "I believe we've been placed into an alternate reality and it is not as we thought it appeared to be. Just as Sam and Dean, we've been switched."

"Switched?" Now Dean was confused. "The only thing that changed in our lives is well, all the things that go bump in the night that never were there before. Everything else is still the same."

"Is it, Dean?" Sam asked quietly. "You know it's not."

"Give me one example."

"Dad."

Dean gritted his teeth knowing Sam was right. Even though their father had been notably absent in their lives for years, he was even more so, fallen off the radar, only rarely ever called to touch base before he would disappear again. While that was pretty normal, months never went by without one of them seeing their father, one way or another.

"So, is there a way to fix it?" Dean asked. "I mean, that's what this meeting is all about, isn't it?"

"Ah yes, there is a way to fix it, as you say, but," Giles sighed heavily as he looked around the room, his eyes falling on Jenny as she lingered near where Tara was sitting in silence, "it won't be simple or easy, however."

"Maybe it's easier than you'd think?" Anya spoke up. "Former vengeance demon here. I know a think or two about skipping through different dimensions."

"I knew this was too frigging good to be true," Faith grumbled miserably. "This ain't our life. Great. So, send us back to ours now then."

"Faith—"

"B, I know you want to see your mom and live this life, but this isn't who we are, this isn't our life and we know it."

"You're right," Buffy frowned. "This _isn't_ our life and we definitely don't belong here. Anya, how does this dimension thing work exactly?"

"I'm not really sure what happened in this case, but this Goddess of Love that Xander told me about? She's really just a demon with a lot of power. A good demon, which is why she called herself a Goddess," Anya replied quickly. "I can ask around, see what some of the demons I know will tell me about what they know about Nereza. Just one thing that I do know about her? Her powers have been draining over the last few centuries. There should be no way she could've pulled this off unless…unless there are two people here destined to be together, two souls joined as one. Otherwise known as soul mates. She would've fed off that power."

"I told her all that I could," Xander said and she smiled lovingly at him. "She knows what we know about Nereza and why she did this."

"That old demon-y witch has always had a death wish," Anya replied bitterly. "And she knew that no weapon, no spell would ever kill her and that the only thing that could is a weapon forged for Her alone to yield and She alone will be the one to end her sordid, miserable life. I mean, how miserable could her life have been? All she needed was to bring two souls designed for one another together and that was it. She got all the power she needed to survive and live a little at the same time."

"What else was her purpose?" Dean asked. "There's gotta be something else, another reason. Don't tell me she existed because of _love_."

The others started talking over each other and Dean turned to Sam, motioning for him to step into the small kitchen with him. Sam sighed heavily as Dean shut the door, muffling the voices in the living room.

"You told me this meeting was about that frigging vampire."

"Part of it," Sam replied. "But I didn't know there was more, Dean. Trust me, if I knew, I would've told you on the phone. These people have a way about finding things out, connecting things that you and I can't even grasp. There's no sense in trying to understand how things are done. The only thing I care about right now is what Anya said."

"You think it's possible?"

"Hell, Dean, _anything_ is possible. You and I know that best. We've been living the impossible for almost a year. I stopped believing things weren't possible the first time I met Faith. After that, a lot of little things started making sense."

"What if I ain't ready for things to change?"

"Dean, come on, would you seriously just drop it?" Sam groaned, clearly annoyed with him. "This isn't our world, it's not theirs either. If this whole mess can be fixed, then I'm all for it and you should be too. What happened to my brother who lived his life on the road, no connections, nothing to hold him down? The brother I know wouldn't fixate on one girl like this."

"The sex was great," Dean muttered under his breath. "She didn't feel nothing with me, told me so straight up, but god damn it, Sammy, that woman's stamina, the things she does—you wouldn't understand why I can't just drop it and let her go."

"You're never going to get another chance, you know that right? Not now that she has her heart firmly gripped in Buffy Summers' hands."

"Faith is different than anyone I've ever known. You barely know her. You don't understand what it's like to be with her day in and day out and know that she'll never want you in her life as anything more than just a friend. I'm not ready to lose her, Sam, okay? If that means our life, our world stays tangled with theirs, I'm fine with that."

"Really? Just like that?"

"Just like that, Sammy, just frigging like that."

"I don't think anyone else is too eager to get back to the world they belong in," Sam said as the voices in the living room grew louder. "I mean, would you want to if this world had Mom alive, us as a normal family? You'd want to stay here, wouldn't you? Even knowing you didn't belong?"

"I wouldn't want to, but I would because hell, who knows if the Dean Winchester that was walking around before was replaced, switched by me in this whole mess?"

"That's it!" Sam exclaimed and he yanked open the kitchen door. Dean grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back in before he could walk out. "What?"

"What the hell are you talking about? That's it? What does that even mean?"

"It's a doppelgänger effect," Sam replied. "Since no person can exist in a dimension with their other self, they've been switched."

"You know this how exactly?"

"Diana has a lot of books," Sam said with a small smile. "While you've been training with her, I've been reading downstairs. The way I see it, if this doppelgänger effect really has taken place, and it's pretty clear that it has, the best thing any of them can do right now is to not associate with the people in this world."

"And they are supposed to do what exactly?"

"Wait."

"For what?"

"Until we figure out how to convince Anya, former vengeance demon to get in touch with her contacts in the demon realm to open a portal for us."

"That sounds like a plan," Faith said as she lingered in the open doorway, arms crossed over her chest. "Looks like I have one person on my side," she said as she flashed Sam a sweet smile and glared at Dean. "We have to convince them."

"To do what?"

"To do the right thing, Dean! None of us belong her and _you_ don't belong in my world either. We need to fix this and we need to do it soon."

Dean sighed as he stared at Faith and then over at Sam. She was right. They all needed to do the right thing even if they didn't want to. None of them belonged there and Dean knew he and Sam didn't belong in Faith's world either. It raised the question—again—of why he and Sam had been pulled into a world that wasn't their own. Why them? Why did it happen when the Hellmouth collapsed?

These quest two questions Dean knew would likely never be answered. His world, and everyone else's, had become one giant confusing mess with no end, no light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel they were trapped inside.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Faith flicked her ash off the end of her cigarette as she stood outside in the back alleyway and she sighed heavily. She could hear the others upstairs in Diana's apartment, still arguing, debating whether or not they wanted to try to fix this whole thing or just stay here and deal, even knowing they didn't belong there in the first place.

"God damn it, Nereza, you bitch. You've made our lives one huge, frigging mess, you know that?" Faith said aloud as she kicked an empty Coke can across the quiet and dark alleyway. "You know what? All of this makes me wish I could go back and not kill you even if that meant we were putting the death stamp on our futures."

"Be careful what you wish for," Dean said as he stepped outside. "Heard wishing things on a Hellmouth is risky. Never know what'll come true."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Needed a break," Dean replied with a shrug. "Kind of nuts up there."

"No kidding."

"So, you and Buffy?"

Faith chuckled dryly as she rolled her eyes. "You've been waiting to say something about that, haven't you?"

"Maybe."

"I dunno, man. It's new, I guess. I'm just going with it, you know? One day at a time. This sitch? It ain't making it any easier, but it ain't making it any harder either. Not sure why that is."

"Not hung up on that true love theory either, huh?"

"With the history I got with B?" Faith shook her head and laughed. "I honestly don't care if that freaky ass Goddess, demon, whatever the hell she was, made it happen. Fact is, it's happening and I'm still having a hard time believing it."

Faith took a long drag of her cigarette before tossing it to the ground and she stared at Dean. He'd been acting weird ever since they first got to Cleveland and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. All she knew was that Dean was acting like a jealous boyfriend and she couldn't just kick him to the side for being like that either. He was a friend, more of a friend than anyone had been in her life. He stuck around in Cleveland when he didn't have to and here he was, in Sunnydale, living a drastically different life than his own in more ways than one and why? Because of her? She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Dean stared right back at her, crossing his arms as well as they stood just a foot apart. Faith clenched her fists, unmoving as she stared him down. Footsteps down the alleyway caught her attention and she pulled the stake out of her jacket as she spun around. Grinning as she saw two vampires approaching them, she spun the stake in her hand and cast a look back at Dean.

"You wanna help or are you gonna watch me dust these assholes?"

"Since when I have ever stood back and watched, Faith?"

Chuckling, Faith turned to the two vampires and sized up the bigger one. She could easily take on both, but Dean couldn't on his own. He could take the smaller one, but the bigger one looked like he was hungry and a hungry vampire always fought a dirty fight. Faith grabbed the smaller one, throwing it easily towards Dean and she turned to the other, licking her lips as she spun her stake in her hand, looking to make it a quick and easy fight.

The vampire, however, had different ideas as they usually did and Faith was ready for that first blow. She deflected it, swiping at the vamp's arm with her own and spun around with a roundhouse kick that sent the vampire flying down the narrow alleyway. Faith quickly looked back at Dean just as he staked the smaller vampire. Raising an impressed eyebrow, she watched him march over to the other and pull him up from the ground with one hand, stake at the ready in the other.

Faith slipped her stake back inside her jacket and watched as Dean barely struggled with the vampire, throwing in a few hard punches before he staked him with ease. She clapped her hands, smirking as Dean turned to look at her, clearly out of breath from the fight."

"Impressive, dude," Faith said as he brushed off the vamp dust from his arms. "I can tell working with Di has been good for ya. Learned more in a week with her than ya did in four months with me."

"She just helped me improve a few techniques I picked up from you, but don't forget one thing, Faith, I've been a hunter for a long time. I have a few moves of my own too, you know."

"Right, of course you do."

"So, you think we should go out and patrol? Sunnydale is full of baddies."

"Dude, stop," Faith sighed. "We're not going out patrolling, _I_ am. You are staying here with the rest of the gang where it's safe. Just cos you proved yourself to me, doesn't mean jack squat."

"Faith—"

"What are you doing here, Dean?" Faith snapped at him. "Why did ya bother to stick around, huh?"

"You asked me to come to Cleveland with you, don't forget that," Dean replied gruffly. "And I stuck around because I wanted to help."

"I don't believe that."

"What do you want me to say, Faith?"

"Why don't you fucking man up and tell me what you're really doing here!"

"You really haven't figured that one out, have you?" Dean spat at her, throwing his hands up in frustration before running them over his spiked hair. "I'm in lo—"

"Whoa," Faith stopped him as she shoved him away from her. "Don't you dare fucking say what I think you're about to say, Dean. You know how I feel about you and you and me? It ain't ever gonna happen!"

"You think I don't know that?" Dean said as he stared hard at her. "You think I haven't tried to convince myself it's never gonna happen? I can't just forget about you—"

"Well try, how about that?" Faith said incredulously. "Leave, go back to living your life you had before you met me and just forget about how you feel, huh?"

"You think it's easy?" Dean asked. "You can't just turn off how you feel about someone, Faith. You of anyone would understand that, but hey, you forgot about all that now that you've got the girl. Funny how quickly you forget how you were quick to deny how you felt about her and then we land in this messy situation and you're all over her."

Faith started to walk away, heading down the alleyway in the direction the vampires had come from. Dean was close behind and he was just as stubborn as she was most of the time, not knowing when to shut up and walk away like she was trying to do.

"I've never had any friends," Dean said as he jogged to catch up to her and he grabbed her arm, flinching as Faith stopped and turned to face him. "I've only had my dad, Sam and Bobby. Never had any real friends, was never any place long enough to get to know anyone. After a while, it became easier to keep everyone at arms length, you know? But you? You came into my life and frigging turned everything around and you became a friend, Faith. I can't help that I feel the way I do, and yeah, I know it's never gonna frigging happen between us, but I don't want to lose you. So, you want to know why I stuck around, why I'm here in Sunnydale when it's just so easy to go back on the road, live my own life? Because friends stick around and help out, Faith. I ain't going anywhere."

"You're an asshole," Faith said as she turned and walked away. "You know something, Dean?" Faith said as she turned and walked backwards slowly, facing him as he stood where he was. "If I had never met you, I would've never gone back to Cleveland and we wouldn't even frigging be here having this stupid conversation."

"So, it's my fault we went to Cleveland?"

"No."

"It's my fault our paths crossed? That we decided to hook up and fight the good fight together? You ever think maybe it was supposed to happen?"

"No," Faith shook her head. "It was just a coincidence."

"Was it?"

"I don't know," she sighed loudly. "We're never gonna know, are we?"

"Probably not."

"Great."

"Look," Dean said as he slowly approached her. "I didn't mean to get you all riled up, Faith. There's a lot going on right now and it's rough on all of us. I meant what I said though. You are a friend and I stuck around because that's what friends do. No matter what, we're in this messed up situation together and we'll get through it together even if at the end of the road, we aren't in the same world anymore."

"I'd miss ya," Faith said quietly. "Kinda liked the months we were out on the road together, you know?"

"Yeah, it was fun mostly, you know when we didn't have a job to do and we just kicked back, hung out."

"Oh, I get it now," Faith chuckled. "You just want a drinking buddy cos I'm the only one that can drink you under the table, huh?"

"One of the reasons."

"Another reason better not be cos you want me."

"There any way you can forget about that?" Dean asked, flashing a charming smile that had her laughing in seconds. "Besides, your girlfriend might be little, but she's pretty scary."

"She's not my—" Faith stopped mid-sentence and clamped her mouth shut. _Is she?_ Shaking her head, she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and quickly lit one. "Like I said before, it's new. One day at a time, just like I live the rest of my life."

"Yo, guys?" Sam called out from the back door, his voice echoing down the alleyway. "You might wanna come back."

"Got news, Sammy?"

"Yeah, big time."

Faith sighed as she and Dean headed back. "I'll be a minute," she said to him, indicating to her cigarette. "What ya think the news is?"

"Hopefully something good."

"Yeah," Faith said, her voice faltering as Dean disappeared inside. "Hopefully."

After a few minutes, she finished up and headed inside and up the stairs into a strangely quiet apartment. Willow was paler than usual she noticed right away, Buffy's eyes were red from crying, Xander looked lost, his mind elsewhere and Giles and Dawn were the hardest to read, their emotions not showing all over their face like the others. She noticed too that Tara was gone and so was Anya.

Sam and Dean stood off to the side near the entrance to the kitchen, talking quietly to each other. Faith looked around the room again and her eyes landed on Buffy. As soon as their eyes met and held a long, lingering gaze, the tears sprang back up in Buffy's eyes as she looked like she was so desperately trying to hold herself together. Faith turned to Diana with a frown, unable to read her either.

"What's going on?" Faith asked quietly.

"A decision has been made," Diana replied. "Anya is off trying to harbor you all a deal to return to your own dimension, but it won't come without a cost."

"What cost?"

"We are not entirely sure," Diana said softly as she turned to look at Giles. "There are theories, but they are only just that. Theories."

"And everyone is on board with this?"

"Not entirely," she said, shaking her head no. "But they all realize that they must do the right thing. The longer all of you are here in Sunnydale, the bigger the cost and the consequences are to follow. Returning you home is our only priority."

"I never got to see her," Buffy said softly through her tears. "I'll never get to see her again, Dawnie."

"It's better this way, Buffy," Dawn soothed as she wrapped her arms around her tightly. "We have to do the right thing."

"I know."

Faith swallowed a hard breath that got caught in her throat. It wasn't too unusual that she could feel Buffy's emotions, but it had escalated recently and just being in the same room as her now, she could feel it as if they were her own. It was heartbreaking and alarming, she was scared too. Was it her own emotions or was it Buffy's she felt? A mix of both? Shaking her head, she walked over to the couch and sat down next to Buffy.

She quickly learns that Anya has been gone only for ten minutes, barely, and that where she went, time moved much differently there and there was no telling when she would be back and whether or not she was able to strike them a deal of sorts in returning them home. She learned too, from hushed whispers from Dawn that Tara had left, choosing to say her goodbye's to Willow long before they even left, not wanting to stay and confuse her, but that had only caused Willow's heart to break a thousands more times, the shock of it having rendered her into an almost comatose-like state.

Nobody was sure of what would happen next and Faith couldn't help but think about what would happen to Dean and Sam. Would they be able to go back to their own world, or were they stuck living in a world that collided with hers? Faith had questions of her own, questions as to why things about herself, her _body_ had changed, disappeared. All were questions that may never be answered, the answers not even existing anywhere to be found.

Faith wasn't sure when she'd drifted off to sleep, exhaustion finally catching up to her, but as she opened her eyes, the living room was dark and she could see the others spread out, some on the other couch, the others on the floor, all sleeping soundly. Buffy was curled up against her and she wasn't asleep. Faith knew that because her fingers were idly stroking her jean-clad thigh.

"What time is it?" Faith whispered.

"It's late. Or early. I'm not sure."

"Have you slept?"

"A little. Not much," Buffy replied softly and she wrapped an arm around Faith's waist and let out a soft yet heavy sigh. "Why isn't she back yet?"

"Dunno, B."

"This feels like torture."

Faith nodded and she wrapped her arms around Buffy, holding her close. It was torture in a way, teasing them with a life they wanted but couldn't have because they didn't belong there in that world. Here, Faith was a better person, she had a better life, one that wasn't marred by the darkness clinging to her soul. It was still there, it would always be there, but there, she didn't feel it near as much, not like she had before.

"When we get back," Buffy whispered as she turned to look at Faith in the darkness of the room, "are things going to change?"

"I don't know," Faith replied, knowing what Buffy was implying without her having to say the words. "Do you want it to?"

"No. Are you going to stay?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yeah," Buffy nodded and Faith could feel Buffy's warm breath against her lips. "If you want to stay or go, it's your choice."

_Why would I go when I got a glimpse of what life could be like with her?_ Faith asked herself and she sighed, feeling Buffy move closer to her, their lips just a breath apart. "One day at a time, right?"

"Yeah."

"We're gonna talk when we get back. We got some things to figure out between us and we're not gonna be able to do that if we don't talk about it."

"I know and we will."

Buffy sealed her promise with a kiss, soft yet sweet. Faith slipped her tongue past Buffy's lips, wanting more, needing more than just a chaste little kiss. It only lasted for a minute, barely, before a blinding white light rippled through the room. They pulled apart quickly as the lights were frantically flipped on, everyone startled by the sudden flash of light. Anya stood off to the side of the small living room, her skin flushed, eyes red, clothes clinging to her sweaty, damp skin.

"Anya!" Xander said as he got up from the mess of blankets he was laying on. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said hoarsely. "I'm just not used to making those trips anymore. They aren't like they used to be. You should be lucky I ever agreed to this in the first place, but let it be clear I only did because _you_ are not my Xander and I want him back. I need him back."

"Anya?" Giles said tiredly as he sat forward in the uncomfortable looking armchair he'd been sleeping in. "Have you—"

"Yes," she said quickly. "It wasn't easy to convince him to open the proper portal that would bring you back to your world."

"Who? D'Hoffryn?"

"Yes, Xander, who else do you think I was going to meet?" Anya replied with a roll of her eyes. "There's a window," she explained as everyone got to their feet. "A very, very short window. In exactly ten minutes, the portal is going to open—"

"Surely not in here?" Diana said worriedly.

"No, not here," Anya replied. "Just outside of town."

"And we have ten minutes? It'll take us almost half an hour to drive out of town!" Xander exclaimed. "How can we make it there in time?"

"You have a witch," Anya said as everyone looked over at Willow. "I know you can teleport. It's the only way."

"I've only done it a few times, only with myself, never with anyone else," Willow replied shakily. "But I—I can try."

"Better start trying," Faith said, feeling an antsy itch crawling under her skin. "Clock is a ticking, Willow."

"Here goes nothing," Willow said as she grabbed Buffy first and began chanting quickly, quietly under her breath.

* * *

Faith was one of the last to arrive, her empty stomach churning and making her feel queasy as she landed hard and unsteadily on the dirt ground. A steady hand—Dean's—stopped her from taking a hard tumble and she took a deep, shuddering breath before shrugging his hand off her arm.

Within seconds, Willow was behind her, only she was steadier on her feet, her landing done effortlessly. She placed a hand on her stomach and let out a small smile as she turned to the group gathered behind her. Anya had come with them, only to ensure the portal opened where she was informed it would. She and Xander were standing off to the side of the group, talking quietly. Faith brushed off her jacket and joined the others and they waited. It wouldn't be long, a minute or two at most and there they stood on the highest hill that surrounded the town and they looked down at it as the sky began to lighten all around them.

"It feels like a dream," Buffy whispered. "It wasn't really real after all."

"Yeah, it was, B. Just for a little while."

"So, what happens now? We just go back and then what?"

"Guess we'll find out, huh?" Faith smiled. "Life is an adventure, B. You know that as well as we all do. We never know what's coming, what's around that dark corner waiting for us. Just gotta hold your breath and hope for the best, yeah?"

"But knowing this life, all of what "we" went through, I don't know if I can—"

"You can," Faith said as she reached for Buffy's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It ain't gonna be easy."

"Nothing in our lives ever is."

A small green, swirling light appeared about ten feet away from them, brightening the area around it gradually. Anya stepped forward and took a deep breath, smiling at Xander before it quickly faded away.

"You have to go now," Anya said over the dull roar that picked up, sounding like wind, but different. "All of you, together."

"Together?" Dawn squeaked. "Is that safe?"

"It's the only way. Go! You have thirty seconds before it closes!"

One by one, everyone joined hands, Faith not surprised in the least when Dean grabbed her other hand. Faith led the way, feeling everyone's reluctance to step into the green, swirling light. She closed her eyes and continued on, and with one last step, she gripped on to Buffy and Dean's hands tight as she felt the portal suck them all in hard.

And one by one they stumbled onto hard pavement, cars honking as they swerved to avoid hitting them in the middle of the busy road. Everyone moved quickly towards the sidewalk despite the apparent shock they were all feeling from being sucked through the portal. Faith wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed to see that Dean and Sam were still there with them. Had it worked? We're they back? Or was this just another cruel cosmic joke? It was possible, D'Hoffryn was a demon after all and there was nothing to prove that he wouldn't deliberately have sent them somewhere else other than back home where they belonged.

"Did it work?" Sam whispered as he stood behind Faith and Dean. "Are we—"

"I don't know, Sammy," Dean replied quickly and he looked to Faith.

"Um, guys?" Xander said as he held a hand over his left eye. "I think it worked."

"Yeah, what makes you think that?" Dean asked him and he winced, reeling back as Xander lifted his hand from his missing eye. "Right, okay. So, what now? Anyone know where we are?"

Faith knew and she didn't need to say it as some of the others recognized the fact that they were just down the street from the old hotel. Their eyes drifted towards it and instead of the building being dark, shut down and in lock-down, its windows were lit up brightly and a handful of young slayers walked out the front doors, laughing and giggling as they headed down the street in the early morning light.

Faith spun around, finally letting go of Buffy's hand and she walked down to the small convenience store and picked up the bundle of newspapers just outside the locked front door. She quickly scanned the front page for the date and shook her head. It wasn't possible. The date printed was March 6th, two days before she and Dean had originally arrived in Cleveland.

"What?" Buffy said as she stood at Faith's side. Faith pointed out the date and she felt the tremble go through Buffy's body. "Is that real? It has to be wrong, some kind of a mistake. A joke? Isn't it April Fools today?"

"Don't know, B, but from this and the fact that the hotel ain't shut down and the way we left it, tells me what happened never happened. Or, we're somewhere else, some other dimension or something."

"God, I'm sick of this," Buffy groaned. "But, I guess there's only one way to find out what's going on, right? We go and find out for ourselves."

They walked in silence up the street to the old hotel and it was Buffy who walked in first, Faith right behind her and the others hesitantly following them inside. There was no damage from the large-scale demon attack they had the last night they were in the hotel. Several young slayers were hanging around in the lobby, completely oblivious to their presence, but they were talking in hushed whispers, the fear clear in their tones as their whispers faded when they noticed the others making their way through the hotel lobby.

With a shrug, Buffy led the way over to the elevators and hit the button. Everyone was silent, all lost within their own thoughts and Faith wasn't sure what was going on, if they were really back in their own world or yet another version of it. She was tired of it, they all were. The last two weeks of their lives had been one giant mess, one incident after another, things happening that nobody could really explain or find any answers to the never-ending questions that were always right there.

"Oh!" Andrew squeaked as the doors slid open and he faced the group. "Something _really_ strange is happening, Buffy."

"You're telling me," she huffed as they all squeezed into the elevator together. "What is going on, Andrew?"

"One minute I'm at the compound, making breakfast and the next I'm standing in my room here. I—I don't know what's happening. What is happening?"

"It's a long story."

"We were in an alternate dimension. Anya made a deal with D'Hoffryn to open up a portal for us so we could come back home," Dawn replied simply.

"Or not," Buffy muttered under her breath. "Hey, if we had to jump through the portal, how did you end up here, Andrew?"

"It could be an effect of another time paradox?" Andrew shrugged. "I—I don't know. We'll have to do some research on the subject. Even I don't understand what just happened. Wait a minute," he said as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. "Did you say alternate dimension? But I thought our lives changed their course because you and Faith killed Nereza?"

"That's exactly what we thought too, turns out it wasn't the case. Not exactly," Buffy replied as they all filed out of the elevator and headed for the conference room down the hallway. "Is everyone here?" Andrew nodded. "Kennedy?"

"I—I haven't checked, but by all accounts and purposes, she's here, somewhere. Likely just as confused as I am right now!"

Faith laughed quietly to herself, feeling more than just confused, feeling like she'd been played in the worst possible way. Things like this weren't supposed to be possible, yet even with the life they lived, the things they knew, she knew that anything in the world was possible even if it seemed like something straight out of a campy science fiction novel.

Faith lingered in the hallway, listening to the others talking over one another as they sat around the table, each and every one of them determined to find some answers as to what the hell was going on. Faith backed away from the door slowly and headed down the hallway towards the door at the very end that led out to one of the few patio balconies on that floor.

"It doesn't make any sense, does it?" Kennedy said as Faith stepped outside into the bright morning sunlight that flooded onto the open patio. "That we're back here, all before this whole mess even started."

"No, it doesn't make any sense," Faith agreed and she pulled her cigarettes out and offered one to Kennedy before lighting her own. "You all right?"

"Confused, mostly," Kennedy replied as she took Faith's lighter from her and lit her cigarette. "What happened in Sunnydale?"

"Ya want the long version of the story or the short one?"

* * *

Dean had lived through a lot of strange occurrences throughout his life, more so when Faith entered it out of the blue in that small diner on that rainy day in September. But nothing topped what they'd just been through and his brain was swimming with thoughts that made him feel nauseous. How was any of it even possible? Time travel, alternate dimensions, portals that took them back to a date before any of it had actually happened. He wasn't the only one feeling frustrated with the current state of events either, but the one thing that was bothering him the most was the fact that he and Sam were still there with _them_.

It was just himself, Sam, Giles and Andrew in the conference room, the others having gone off to get some sleep under Giles' orders. Even though Dean was feeling the exhaustion as well, he needed answers, even just one, or sleep would never come, his mind would never shut off long enough to allow him to rest.

"I think I found something," Sam said as he looked up from the old book he was reading through. "Maybe."

"What'd you find, Sammy?" Dean asked as he closed the book he had open in front of him, untouched and unread. "Sam?"

"I think it's a prophecy, I'm not sure."

"May I?" Giles asked and Sam slid the book across the table. Giles read through the first page quickly, mouthing a few words along the way. He sighed heavily as he removed his glasses and looked up at Sam and Dean. "It is indeed a prophecy, one I've seen before, but never found it to have a string of truth, always believed it was a false prophecy, one that only would've happened if certain events unfolded beforehand."

"It's mostly in Latin," Sam said to Dean. "I didn't really understand it."

"What does it say?" Dean asked Giles and he watched as the Watcher read over a few more lines on the page.

"Two worlds will collide, bringing forth the need for balance in all worlds. An Old One will alter and change the course of history, feeding from the power the ripples of time creates, henceforth bringing upon a new future after an old and alternate one is lived," Giles read slowly. "When the power cycle is complete, the world will become what it was, with only one change that will bring forth the future that was intended—chosen—by the Powers That Be, the destiny of the Chosen One set forth on a new, yet old path, with eyes and knowledge of the past and the alternate to aide her into ensuring the balance is protected for centuries to come."

Giles took a deep breath and turned the page, reading silently for a moment before he continued. "Fate will lead those on it's path to where they are meant to be. Trials and tribulations will make them stronger, bringing new light to the lives they have. A blessing in disguise though hardships still follow. The demon must be destroyed before the rising of the next full moon, or the previous course will continue, the intended one once again a path not taken."

"The next full moon?" Andrew said and his eyes were wide. "But that's tonight! Are you telling me we have to kill the demon before the full moon rises tonight?"

"Not _we_," Giles said as he closed the book. "Buffy and Faith. They are the last of the Chosen. The line runs through them both respectively. I believe that the fate of our futures are entirely in their hands now. It is now solely left to them to ensure the right path is taken this time. Our very futures depend on it."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

With next to no information to go by, aside from a few locations, Faith walked through the streets of the warehouse district a few miles from Headquarters with Buffy at her side. There were dozens of teams out, spread out throughout the city looking for the demon who had consumed and taken possession of Nereza's body and soul, each team under strict orders not to take matters into their own hands. It had to be Buffy and Faith that were the ones to kill the demon, as was foretold by the prophecy once believed to be false, with little to no evidence to prove it would ever come into existence in their time or ever.

The prophecy in question that Sam had found, that Giles explained to them both, didn't provide enough information. Most prophecies foretold an outcome, but this one did not, at least not specifically. It didn't even matter how many times she heard it herself, Faith still didn't understand it. They killed Nereza, hadn't they? That was the whole point of them being sent so far back in time was to prevent all of this from happening, wasn't it?

Giles explained what the prophecy meant and how it was meant to test not just the Slayer, but everyone connected to her directly. Although Buffy wasn't the only Slayer in existence, when the prophecy had been written it was intended for only one, not two, not hundreds.

"You'd think we could've been spared of everything we've been through that brought us here," Buffy said quietly as they walked side by side between two tall, seemingly empty and abandoned warehouses. "I mean, what is the point?"

"To see it with a different perspective. That's what Giles said."

"I know what he said, Faith, I'm just saying, what is the point?"

"I don't know, B."

"This true love thing was just a game, a way to mess with our heads, wasn't it?" Buffy asked her and she came to a sudden stop. "What's the point of putting us through that, making us believe something like that?"

"True love conquers all?" Faith shrugged. "B, tell me something," she said and she stared into Buffy's eyes, her gaze intense and drawing her in. "You feel something, don't you? Between us? And not just cos of what Nereza said to us, don't you?"

"I—"

"I do," Faith said confidently. "I think I always have, just now I ain't running from it, you know? I know you know what I'm saying right now, B. I know you feel it too."

"What does it feel like?" Buffy asked, her eyes lowering to the ground as Faith took a step towards her. "After everything we've been through, my head is a complete mess and I keep thinking I'm still living in some kind of a nightmare and that if I try hard enough, I'll wake myself up and none of it would've happened."

Faith was never good at putting her emotions into words and even when she tried, it all came out entirely wrong. Instead of using words she couldn't find to say, she wrapped her arms around Buffy and kissed her softly.

"How does that make you feel, B?"

"Like I want you to keep doing that and never stop."

"Why?"

"Because it feels…good," she whispered, wrapping one arm around Faith as the other held the scythe firmly at her side. "It feels unlike anything I've ever felt before. You make me feel so many things that I can't even think straight."

"Literally," Faith chuckled and she stumbled backwards as Buffy pushed her away.

"This isn't a joke, Faith!"

"I know it ain't no frigging joke, Buffy," she snapped, her smirk quickly faltering at Buffy's sudden mood change. "We have something, you know? Might not be that conventional relationship you've always dreamed of, but you and me? There's a spark. It fuels this fire deep inside and you just want more, no matter how much it scares you to just let it happen, let it be. What happened to what you said when we were in Sunnydale, huh? About us? You just gonna stand there and pretend it wasn't real? Cos it sure as hell felt real to me, B. All of it. Yeah, it's a mind fuck and a half, but let's be real here. For whatever reason, we were brought together and I don't care what it is, I just know it's happening and I ain't gonna try to play it off as anything else other than exactly what it is."

"And what's that, Faith?"

"We _are_ two halves of one soul," Faith said as she grabbed Buffy's hand to keep her from walking away. "You feel it, even now," she said with a dangerous passion in her voice that hid the shakiness she was feeling. "We have history, sure, but there's no denying what's going on between us, Buffy. Everything we've ever done, it's led us here. It's led us through this completely fucked up situation that sure, I'd rather didn't happen at all, but guess what? It happened and if we don't find this demon, our lives are gonna end up far worse than we could've ever imagined."

Breathing heavily, Faith stared at her, waiting for her to say something, anything, but she didn't as she turned on her heels and continued down the road, ignoring everything that Faith had just let spill out of her mouth without warning.

"So, that's it, B? Just gonna walk away? Thought that was my deal?"

"When I told you we'd talk about this, I didn't mean _now_, not while we have a demon we have to find and kill before it all happens again."

"So, that's your solution, B? We finally start talking and you walk away?"

"We're here for one thing and one thing only and that is not to talk about whatever is going on between us."

"Are we ever gonna talk about it or are you just gonna keep finding ways to walk away, Buffy?"

"Are you seriously accusing me of walking away when we're here to find this demon and kill it?" Buffy snapped at her. "Oh my god, I can't believe you, Faith. What do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you that everything you feel is exactly what I feel too? Because I do, but seriously, right now we can't talk about this, about us. Not right now."

Faith scoffed and she kept up with Buffy, walking at her side as she kept her eyes and ears open. Buffy was right even though Faith wasn't going to readily admit it. They couldn't talk about what was going on between them, not when they had a demon to find and kill. The warehouse district was unusually quiet even though it was nearing midnight. They had forty minutes to find this demon and kill it. They'd already been out for hours, one lead following another that led somewhere else that led them to where they were now. Time was ticking down and Faith was feeling the anticipation of the fight that would come as soon as they found their demon.

"Why didn't it work?" Buffy asked her. "We killed her, so why didn't it work?"

"D'Hoffryn sent us back before any of that happened. He's an evil demon, what'd ya expect?"

"I thought this demon cannot be killed?"

"Ya heard what Giles said, right? The demon needs to perform some ceremony, some sacrifice that merges its powers with those of Nereza's which was consumed hundreds of years ago. That ceremony is happening tonight in less than forty minutes, B."

"And we have nothing! No demon, nothing!"

"Dean said he spotted two Grappler demons headed here. What's the chance that two Grappler demons are working together and going to the same place, huh?" Faith said and she pulled Buffy's arm, pulling her into the shadows of the building to their right as two large Grappler demons exited out of the building ahead of them. They stayed quiet and watched as three more exited the building and stood by the door, almost as if they were standing guard. "What'd I tell ya, B?"

"We need reinforcements," Buffy whispered quietly. "We can barely take on five of them alone and there's no telling how many more are inside."

"Kennedy's team should be nearby. Send out a text. Bring them all in. Now, B."

Buffy nodded and pulled out her phone and quickly sent out a mass text to all the leaders of each team that was out patrolling, giving them their location and to get there as fast as they possibly could. Faith headed around the building they were using for cover and climbed up the metal ladder that went right up to the flat roof. With Buffy staying on the ground where she was, Faith quietly and discreetly made her way to the front of the building, using the large air conditioner for cover as she peered over the edge at the warehouse the Grappler demons were guarding.

There were lights on inside, she could see that from her vantage point. There wasn't much else she could see from where she was, the warehouse windows mostly blacked out with peeling paint. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out quickly. A text from Dean telling her that he and Sam were there and he wanted a location of which building they were using as cover. Quickly replying, she put her phone back in her pocket and watched the Grappler demons below. They just stood there, two of them grunting and growling at each other.

All Faith was armed with was a small broadsword, a couple of stakes, a curved dagger that she had sheathed inside her left boot and a small handgun Dean had insisted she take that was tucked in the back of her jeans. Buffy had the same, minus the gun and she had the scythe.

Five minutes passed before she heard footsteps on the gravel rooftop behind her and she turned, smiling as she saw Dean approaching with two sniper rifles in his hands. Breathing a sigh of relief, she grabbed the one he handed to her and he crouched behind the air conditioner beside her.

"How many?" Dean whispered and Faith held up a hand. "More inside?"

Faith nodded and raised the sniper rifle and used the scope to look down at the Grappler demons guarding the entrance. She lowered the rifle and turned back to look at Dean.

"Is Sam here?"

"Over there," he pointed to the building opposite of them and she spotted Sam, just faintly in the darkness, as he made his way to the front to get a good vantage point as well. "Kennedy and her team were arriving as we did. They're waiting for the others before they assemble, ready to attack."

"What's the signal?"

"Buffy."

"What?"

"She's gonna walk right out there and—"

"It's a stupid idea!" Faith said in a hushed whisper. "What the hell is she thinking?"

"She knows what she's doing. You, me and Sam are gonna pick off the Grappler's that are down there right now as soon as she makes her move."

Faith shook her head at the plan. It was a stupid plan. There's no way she wanted to let that happen, but what could she do now? She was on the roof and expected to play her part, to kill the demons below quickly and efficiently with a shot to the head. It wasn't like she could run down there and try to convince Buffy of another plan. It was set and already in motion and she had zero say in any of it. Which shouldn't and didn't surprise her at all. Some things really never did change.

Faith glanced at her watch on her wrist quickly. Less than half an hour before the full moon would rise. She gripped on to the rifle and looked through the scope again, zeroing in on the biggest one that was the furthest from the entrance. She moved the rifle around, spotting a team of six slayers approaching from the north side and she quickly aimed to the other end, another team of six slayers approaching from the south side. Re-aiming at the biggest demon, she just faintly heard Dean whisper that Buffy was making her move, almost in sight and out in the open. Faith checked over all five demons, none of them had weapons, but she knew as well as they all did that Grappler demons did not need weapons to do some serious damage.

Faith watched through the scope as a single arrow whizzed through the air and struck the demon she had her sights on straight in the chest, piercing the heart. With a roar, the demon fell to the ground and the others sprung into action. With a few quick pulls of the trigger, they were down and the teams of slayers were close, Buffy standing less than ten feet from the entrance to the warehouse with Kennedy's team approaching her from behind. It felt like minutes passed when it was only seconds before the doors swung open and a dozen more grappler demons came running out, ready to fight to the death, be it theirs or the slayers they were fighting against.

"Go," Dean said as he nudged at Faith with his shoulder. "You should be down there, not up here playing it safe with me. Buffy can't kill the demon on her own, she needs you there. Go, Faith! There isn't much time!"

Faith grunted as she dropped the rifle to the roof and ran to the metal ladder. She scaled down the side of the building quickly and ran through the fray to where Buffy was struggling against another large Grappler, trying to get in a clean shot with her sword while dodging meaty fists that flew at her from all angles.

Faith pulled out her curved dagger, smirking as she dodged the meaty fist headed for her head and found her opening, a clear shot at the demon's throat and she took it, slicing through the thick skin with ease. She kicked the demon away from them and grabbed Buffy's hand, pulling her towards the entrance of the warehouse.

Their time was running out and the longer they stayed outside, the more time they were wasting. With two teams of slayers behind them, along with the quick and accurate shots from Sam and Dean, the others could handle the demons that rushed outside. The way Faith figured it, the more than ran out of the warehouse, the easier it was for her and Buffy to get to their target and kill the demon before the prophecy would come to pass.

The warehouse was wide open, a few dozen wooden crates scattered about, but it was mostly empty when they stormed inside. Aside from the four or five dozen Grappler demons, other demon species that were in there waiting for them along with more vamps than she could count. They were outnumbered. Big time.

"We're gonna need the girls in here, B."

"And a few dozen more," Buffy said quickly as she inhaled sharply. "Any sign of her?"

"No, but we'll find her. Him. Whatever the hell it is now."

"Calling in all reinforcements now!" Buffy yelled into her radio and it was quickly knocked out of her hand by a short, stocky Grappler that had snuck up on them. Faith backhanded the demon in the face and pulled Buffy deeper inside the warehouse.

"Let's go, B!"

* * *

Dean picked off the demons as they came out of the entrance of the warehouse, one shot narrowly missing Kennedy as she moved too quickly for him to hold back his shot. Swearing under his breath, he changed his position, but something inside of him made him move from beyond the edge of the rooftop and the cover of the big air conditioning unit on the roof. He ran for the ladder and scaled down, tossing his radio to the ground as Sam yelled at him to stop and hold back.

Taking off in a run, he ducked and rolled past two demons and continued on, laughing as he used his newfound training to it's full advantage. Even through the most messed up situation of all of their lives, the training he had from a Watcher had explicitly made him a better hunter, a better fighter, and he was living on the edge as he made his way through the horde of demons and slayers with practiced ease.

The inside of the warehouse was another story. Dean came to a sudden stop at he laid eyes upon far too many demons, all of them outnumbering the slayers that were there fighting the good fight. He didn't stop for long, knowing he had to keep moving, keep on fighting. He spotted Faith fighting off two vampires while Buffy was back to back with her, fighting off another vampire. Dean pulled out the gun holstered inside his jacket, the one with the wooden bullets soaked in holy water and took aim, taking out the vampire Faith was struggling against, making her fight just a little easier.

There was only one not fighting, a woman standing up on the loft, watching the fight below. Two, big demons Dean had never seen before flanked each side of her, guarding her. He made his way over to Faith and Buffy as they staked their vampires in perfect synchronization.

Dean went flying backwards as a large demon rushed at him. Grunting as he got to his feet, he spotted the sword that Faith had before on the ground a few feet away. Diving out of the flying fists of the demon that had rushed him, he slid across the concrete floor and grabbed the sword, leaping to his feet and spinning around quickly, using the momentum to slice the blade clean through the demon's stomach. The demon staggered towards him, growling in pain and he pulled the sword back and plunged it forward, directly in the demon's heart. He kicked the demon back, pulling the sword out as he did and he turned around, finding himself being targeted by a similar looking demon.

Not wasting any time, he killed the demon before it could make another move. When he tried to pull the sword out of the demon's chest, it wouldn't budge and he grunted in annoyance as he let the demon fall, the sword protruding out of its thick chest. Dean pulled out his gun and picked off two vampires as they tried to close in on two young slayers who weren't aware they were behind them. Dean rushed over to where Faith and Buffy were just as they effortlessly dusted two more vampires.

"Your demon is up there," Dean said breathlessly as he nodded up towards the loft area. "Go and finish this."

"You shouldn't be in here!" Faith yelled at him. "Get the hell outta here before you end up dead, Dean!"

"I can handle it, besides, got a little something for when you two kill that demon that'll flatten this place."

Dean pulled out a grenade and winked at Faith before he dove back into the fight, every inch of him charged from the adrenaline flowing hard through his entire body. A pack of vampires were headed straight for him and he grinned. This was going to be one hell of a fight right to the very end.

* * *

Faith led the way up to the loft, finding a set of stairs after quickly searching through the chaos erupting around them. With Buffy close behind her, they moved quickly and quietly behind the crates that were piled up along the back of the loft area. Buffy pulled Faith down behind a stack and they crouched low, their eyes on the demon less than ten feet from them, two big demons flanking her, arms crossed as they watched the fight below.

"What's the plan, B?" Faith whispered breathlessly. "We gotta take those two out. They're gonna be a big problem."

"How?"

"Guns," Faith grinned as she pulled hers out. Buffy nodded and pulled hers out as well. "We gotta take the shot at the same time."

"I _really_ hate guns."

"Now's not the time, B. Just aim and fire. On my count," Faith said quickly and she raised her gun aiming for the demon on the left and glanced over at Buffy as she aimed hers at the demon on the right. "One," she whispered, finger hovering over the trigger. "Two," she breathed out as she focused on her demon. "Now."

They took the shot together, both bullets hitting each demon in the back of their heads and they fell forward and off the edge of the loft and down into the chaos below. Their demon growled angrily as she turned around.

"You!" She yelled as Buffy and Faith emerged from behind the stack of crates. "I am going to kill you both slowly and very, very painfully."

"Bring it on, bitch," Faith grinned as she raised her gun and took a shot, the bullet piercing the demon in the chest, directly in her heart.

"You're an idiot," the demon cackled. "Bullets won't kill me."

"Nah, but it'll slow ya down."

Together they charged at the demon and as Faith had pointed out, the gunshot wound did slow her down just enough for her to be able to tackle the demon to the floor. Faith was thrown off in an instant, the demon far more powerful than she'd thought. Looking over at Buffy, she knew they didn't have much time and they needed to kill the demon now, with just minutes to spare before their time was up and their future sealed in a fate that nobody wanted or was prepared for.

Faith charged at her, throwing a fury of hard punches and kicks that barely jarred the demon. Buffy was right there, adding her own moves to try to take the demon down or even just get close enough so that she and Faith could use the scythe to kill her once and for all.

"Poor old Nereza thought she was doing the world a favor," the demon cackled as she stood between the two slayers, ready to make their move. "She thought she could stop me? _Nothing_ can stop me, not even the Powers themselves."

"Oh yeah?" Faith asked as she and Buffy moved closer to the demon and each other. "I think you're overlooking one little thing, bitch."

"And what's that, Slayer? The prophecy?" She tittered as she shook her head. "Did you ever, for one second, wonder who wrote that?"

"Let me guess. You," Faith stated.

"It was written so you would fail. Although, when I wrote it, I did not anticipate there being two of you, and hundreds of little girls who barely have half the strength you two do."

"Funny thing," Faith chuckled confidently. "You're forgetting one thing. Buffy has never failed. Every fight she's fought right 'til the end, she's the one who walks away, not the bad guy. Got news for you, this one is gonna end the same way. We're gonna be the ones who win cos the good guys _always_ win."

Buffy glanced at Faith and they both nodded as Faith held on to the scythe with Buffy and they took a hard swing, the blade slicing deep through the demon's neck. Though they didn't make a clean cut through her neck, her head lolled back as she staggered towards the edge of the loft. Faith let go of the scythe and walked over to her, cocking her head to the side as she watched the demon stand there, the seconds ticking by feeling far longer than they were.

"Is she dead?"

"Should be," Faith replied and she stepped forward and gave the demon a push over the edge, watching the body as it slammed hard on the concrete floor below. Turning to look at Buffy with a smile, a wave of relief washed over her, but it wasn't over yet. "Come on, let's get the hell outta here, B."

"Is it just me or should that have been a lot harder?" Buffy asked as they made their way to the stairs.

"What?" Faith laughed. "Are you seriously complaining about how _easy_ that just was? Really, B?"

"It all seemed anti-climatic, especially after everything we've been through."

"Anti-climatic or not, the bitch is dead. All we gotta do is get the girls outta here and leave the rest to Dean."

"He can't blow this place up!"

"Why not?"

"I—"

"Faith!" Dean yelled out as he dusted the vamp he was fighting. "Get everyone outta here now!"

"Everyone fall back!" Faith yelled as she grabbed two girls from where they were hiding and rushed for the entrance. "Kennedy, fall back!"

"Three girls are down!" Kennedy yelled as she tried to help one up, blood running down the front of her body, staining her shirt and jacket. "We're not leaving anyone behind!"

Faith ducked out of the way of an injured Grappler demon. She spun around quickly, sending the demon to the ground with a hard roundhouse kick followed quickly by a hard, swift uppercut to the demon's jaw. She grabbed it by the armor it wore on it's chest and pulled the demon to its feet. She grabbed her knife and held it to the demon's throat. For a fleeting second before she sliced clean through, she could see the fear in the demon's eyes, knowing its death was imminent.

"Go," Faith said to the two frightened girls she'd pulled from their hiding spot and watched them make a run for the entrance. "Where are the other's, Ken?"

"Over there," she yelled as she pointed to a pile of broken crates. "Come on, Sara, let's go," she said to the girl she was helping walk out of the warehouse.

Faith rushed over to the pile of broken crates and pulled a few off the two girls buried underneath them. They didn't look good and they were hurt badly, both girls unconscious. She pulled the rest of the rubble away from them and she felt a soft, warm hand land on her arm.

"Come on," Buffy whispered over the din. "We've got to move quickly!"

Faith picked up the girl with the electric blue hair and she winced when the girl cried out in pain. "Don't worry, I got ya. You're gonna be okay."

"Everything hurts," the girl gasped, the blood pooling in the corners of her mouth as Faith got a good hold on her. "Oh god."

"You'll be okay."

Faith didn't look back as she carried the injured girl outside and as far as she could away from the warehouse, following the rest that were retreating quickly. Faith gently put the girl down on the ground, allowing some of the others to tend to her injuries. She turned and looked back, watching as a few demons slipped out the entrance, angry and looking to kill. With a few shots from Sam still up on the rooftop, they were down.

Buffy stood at her side and they stood there. Watching. Waiting. Faith wiped the trickle of blood she felt rolling down her forehead and tenderly touched the gash she didn't know she had. Sirens off in the distance gave them warning they needed to get out of the area and fast. Dealing with the law was the last thing any of them needed after the fight they just had. Yet Faith couldn't move from the spot, not even as Buffy grabbed on to her hand and tried to get her to walk away.

"Faith, it's over," Buffy said as she pulled at her again. "Come on, we have to get out of here now!"

"Go," Faith said as she pulled her hand free of Buffy's tight hold. "I'm not going anywhere without him."

"I'm not going anywhere without _you_!"

Faith shook her head. "Don't be stupid, B."

Buffy glared at her, her decision made. Faith chuckled quietly at her stubbornness. Some things really never did change. While the others retreated, carrying the injured away from the area as quickly as they could, the sirens were getting louder, closer. Sam ran up to them, breathing hard as he clutched his rifle with both hands.

"Where is he?" Sam asked. "Where's Dean?"

"He's still inside," Faith replied, not taking her eyes off the warehouse.

"You left him behind?"

"No," Faith said as she turned to Sam. "We didn't leave him behind, he stayed. He's gonna blow the place up."

"Why hasn't it happened yet?" Buffy whispered. "Faith, something isn't right."

"I know."

"I'm going to get him out of there," Sam said as he took off in a run towards the warehouse.

"Sam! What the hell are you doing?" Faith yelled and she was forcefully being held back by Buffy when she tried to run after him. "Let me go, Buffy."

"No."

"God damn it," Faith yelled at her. "Let me go!"

"No, Faith!" Buffy said as she tightened her arms around her. "I'm not going to let you go and get yourself killed."

"I'm not gonna—"

The explosion rippled through the building and the shockwave from the blast threw them both back a good twenty feet. Gasping as the wind was knocked out of her, Faith leaned up on her elbows and watched the fireball engulf the building and rise up into the darkness of the night sky. She couldn't move as Buffy tried to get her to get up on her feet. Her ears were ringing from the explosion and everything felt heavy, like she was being crushed to death.

"Faith?" Buffy said, her voice distant as Faith kept her eyes on what was left of the warehouse, next to nothing aside from a wall that hadn't crumbled into nothing like the rest of it. "Faith, come on, we have to go now!"

Faith clutched at her chest, tears brimming in her eyes as she allowed Buffy to pull her up to her feet. She took a few staggering steps forward, searching through the rubble for any signs of Dean and Sam. There was nothing, no movement and then the only wall left standing crumbled to the ground. Buffy pulled on her hand, urging with her to come with her. As the ringing in her ears subsided, the sirens were even closer now.

"B, they're—"

"Faith, there's nothing we can do now! We need to leave!"

"But—"

"I know, Faith, I know, but we really need to get out of here right now," Buffy urged and she sounded so desperate, pleading with Faith.

Faith looked back at the destruction in front of them, looking for any signs of Dean and Sam, but there wasn't any. Just the dozens upon dozens of lifeless, dead demon bodies under and around the rubble.

With a heavy, heartbroken sigh, Faith turned to Buffy and they started to run, ducking behind a building as a handful of police cars rushed down the road to where the destroyed warehouse was. They waited for what felt like hours before they had an opening, one chance to get out of the warehouse district without having to face the police that were swarming all over, likely searching for whoever was responsible for the explosion.

After an hour of running through the streets of Cleveland, sticking to the quiet, dark and nearly empty ones that took them longer to get back to Headquarters, they came to a stop just outside of the old hotel entrance, both breathing heavily as they stared at one another. Inside they could hear the chatter from the young slayers, cheerful and worried voices mixing together.

"Is it finally over?" Faith asked quietly as she stared long and hard into Buffy's eyes.

"Let's hope so."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Dean could feel the emptiness, the darkness fading as he felt the familiar rumble of the Impala riding smoothly down the road. Blinking, he finally could see and he swerved out of the way of an oncoming truck that was furiously honking the horn at him as he sailed past along the shoulder and came to a slow stop. He was alone in the car and from the looks of the area around him, he was somewhere in Oregon, possibly. Groaning, he pulled out his cell and glanced at it, everything suddenly coming back to him in a rush.

Faith, their worlds colliding, the demon that nearly destroyed them and a Goddess who turned back time and brought them to another world, another dimension much like their own worlds, but not. Then he remembered the portal, returning to Cleveland days before they actually had. Finding out there was a prophecy and then hunting down the demon who was behind everything. The fight, watching Faith and Buffy take the demon down with practiced ease, fighting two Grappler's on his own while the slayers ran out of the warehouse. Pulling out the grenade and smiling as he pulled the pin, threw it and ran. And then nothing but emptiness and darkness for what felt like forever.

_Am I dead?_ Dean wondered as he found Sam's number in his phone and called him. He hesitated at putting the phone to his ear and he only did when he heard Sam's tinny voice coming from the phone.

_"Dean?"_ Sam said loudly as he put the phone to his ear. _"What the hell is going on?"_

"Where are you, Sammy?"

_"I'm at Bobby's place. You? What the hell happened to us, Dean?"_

"I'm not sure," Dean replied. "What's the last thing you remember?"

_"Running towards the warehouse to find you then everything went black. Bobby said I nearly scared him half to death when I landed in the middle of his kitchen while he was making himself a sandwich. I don't know what's happening, Dean. Bobby thinks he's gone crazy, hallucinating because of the way I just dropped in."_

Dean sighed heavily. Something had definitely happened when he dropped the grenade. The blast that should've killed him, didn't. "Stay there. I'm gonna head there, hopefully make it to Bobby's in a day or two."

Dean hung up and tossed his cell onto the seat next to him and he clutched the steering wheel. He glanced over at his phone and picked it up again and went through his contacts, looking for Faith's name. Blinking, he went through it again, but her number wasn't in his phone as it had been since the day he bough her the damn thing. With a shake of his head, he tried to remember and he dialed the number quickly and the line began to ring.

It wasn't Faith who answered, but a man who was pissed as hell to be woken up in the middle of the night. Dean hung up and tried again, still reaching the same man who told him to go stick a gun up his ass and kill himself. Frustrated, Dean drove off down the road until he figured out where he was. He was about four miles south of Portland and he was driving the wrong way. He came to a skidding stop in the middle of the road before turning the car around. He picked up his phone and called Sam.

"I tried to call her," Dean said as soon as Sam picked up. "Her number is gone from my phone, Sam. Called her and some dude answered it."

_"Maybe you dialed the wrong number?"_

"I didn't," Dean snapped and he sighed heavily as he kept his eyes on the dark road. "Look, Sam, I need you to do me a favor. Find her."

_"Already on it,"_ Sam replied and Dean could faintly hear the sounds of the keyboard clicking as Sam typed away. _"There's nothing."_

"Her records were wiped clean, maybe that's why? Look up Buffy Summers."

_"Dean—"_

"What?"

_"I already did. I tried to find all of them. None of them seem to exist. I've checked all the records, everything I could since we talked earlier. I was going to call, but I thought maybe it'd be better for you to be here to see it for yourself."_

"Damn it, Sammy," Dean yelled as he hit the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. "How the hell can they not exist? We were just fighting with them not even half an hour ago!"

_"You know what this means, don't you?"_ Sam said quietly. _"We're back. We're back in our own world, detangled from theirs somehow. Dean, they don't exist in our world, they never have."_

Dean nearly threw the phone out the window, but restrained himself, the anger bubbling violently through him as he pressed the petal down harder, the engine revving as the Impala sped down the narrow, winding road. There was no way this was happening and he had to figure out a way to fix it. Whether their world had been untangled from the one Faith lived in, he wasn't ready for that part of his life to be over, not when he had finally felt like he was truly living in ways he'd never felt before in his entire life. Now all Dean needed was to fix it and get it back, find a way for their worlds to collide again, somehow.

There had a to be a way. There had to be…

* * *

_Cleveland, Ohio_

Faith flinched as Buffy stood in front of the chair she was sitting on and carefully stitched up the gash on her forehead just below her hairline. She let out a strangled breath as Buffy stepped away and dropped the needle into the small metal bowl and grabbed the towel and wiped her hands clean. All around them others were being treated for their minor injuries sustained through the fight, the ones who were far worse, we're already at a hospital nearby. Faith slid off the tall chair and smiled at Buffy, a silent thank you for stitching her up when she didn't have to.

"Turn on the news," Andrew said as he rushed into the room being used as the infirmary. It was one of the common rooms on a lower floor that belonged to the younger slayers. Andrew huffed as he marched over to the TV and turned it on and found the channel he was looking for and stepped back. "They're calling it an act of terrorism. Authorities don't know why that specific building was attacked."

"Do they have any suspects?" Dawn asked and he shook his head no as he turned up the volume, the chatter in the room dying down quickly as everyone's attention went to the reporter speaking on the news in front of the warehouse rubble.

_"…several dozen, badly disfigured bodies were pulled from the rubble a short time ago, the damage to each body recovered will make it nearly impossible for the authorities to determine identification until sometime next week. It is believed this was targeted, the explosion, as Chief Marrow explained earlier, shows signs that it was caused by a grenade and possibly other explosives. The officers on scene have no leads, no suspects at this time. If anyone has any information regarding this incident…"_

"Boy are they gonna be surprised to find out the DNA of those demons aren't human," one of the younger slayers laughed. "So, we're in the clear, aren't we? They have no leads or suspects. We have nothing to worry about, right?"

"No," Buffy said as she motioned for Andrew to turn off the TV. "We are not in the clear, not yet. Andrew, have your team find a way to cover our tracks before they are found. The last thing we need is to be investigated by the police department. Patrol will be suspended for several days, and girls, that means I do not want any of you leaving Headquarters for any reason during that time, not until we make sure that nothing links us to what happened in that warehouse tonight."

"What about the girls in the hospital?"

"Giles is there with them. They're safe. We have people there that we can trust, that will keep the true nature of their injuries from being found out by the wrong people that will not hesitate to turn this entire thing around on us. Dawn, I'll need you to keep in touch with Giles every couple of hours to check on the status of the girls there," Buffy said and Dawn nodded, walking off with her phone in her hand, dialing a number quickly. "Willow?"

"Yes, Buffy?"

"Is there a way you can find out where Dean and Sam are?"

"I can do an easy location spell," Willow nodded. "I'll get right on that."

"It's late," Buffy said to the young slayers gathered in the room. "Everyone, finish up here and get some rest. We'll have a meeting in the morning."

"Not too early," Kennedy grumbled. "Some of us need some decent sleep to sleep off that fight, you know."

"No, not too early. Eleven," Buffy said and the girls all murmured words of agreement as they filed out of the room, heading to their rooms for the night.

Faith followed Buffy, Willow and Kennedy to the elevators and nobody said a word as they rode down to the next floor. Willow lead the way down to her office and Faith hovered near the doorway, watching as Kennedy pulled out a map of the city and laid it out on the floor in the middle of the spacious room. Faith had already tried calling Dean, but the line went to an automatic recording, the operator telling her the number wasn't in service. She was worried about him and Sam. If they were both inside that warehouse when it blew up, there was no way they could've survived that blast.

After several attempts in trying to locate Dean and Sam with the locator spell, the map turning up empty each time, Willow shoved the map aside and with salt, she created a small circle on the floor and sat down inside of it.

"What's she doing?" Faith whispered to Buffy.

"Astral projection."

"How does it work?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but she's going to see if she can find them that way. The locator spell doesn't always work. They—they could be dead, Faith."

"Or their signature isn't showing up because they are not from our world," Willow replied and she motioned to Kennedy to stand back. "I won't be long. Kennedy, start the countdown. If I'm not back in ten minutes, I need you to break the circle and bring me back here, okay?"

"Wil, honey, is this safe?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I've done it plenty of times. Don't worry about me, Kenny."

"You know I always do."

Willow smiled at her before she closed her eyes and concentrated, whispering words in a language nobody else understood. Buffy reached for Faith's hand and they walked out into the hallway, leaving Kennedy alone with Willow.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked as Faith dropped her hand from Buffy's and started to pace. "Faith?"

"What if they are dead, B? They sacrificed everything for us?"

"We don't know for sure."

Faith shook her head. "No, we don't, do we? No reason to jump to conclusions, right? But I'm looking at the facts here. Dean was still inside and Sam was nearly there when the building blew up. There is no way they survived that!"

Buffy frowned, at loss for words as Faith continued to pace the floor. Buffy reached out for her again and wrapped her arms tightly around Faith. She tried to hold back the tears, but they spilled out quickly, burning her cheeks as she clutched on to Buffy tight. Buffy leaned back a little and reached up with her right hand and lightly wiped away the tears from Faith's cheeks. She leaned in and kissed her softly and it set Faith's entire body on fire and even though the kiss was light and chaste, she could feel the passion brewing between them, the feeling stronger than the grief she was experiencing.

"It's going to be okay, Faith," Buffy whispered. "Just let it all go."

"How is it okay? They could be dead!"

"They knew the risks."

Faith shook her head and tried to step away, but Buffy wouldn't let her, keeping a strong hold on her. "I don't know why I feel like this, B."

"Dean meant something to you," Buffy replied. "He was a friend when you had nobody else and he was a part of your life even if it wasn't for very long."

"He was in love with me."

Buffy smiled sadly. "I know."

"He was a good guy even though he could be a real dick sometimes," Faith laughed dryly as she closed her eyes tight, squeezing out the last of her tears. "God, why does this have to hurt like this, B?"

"Did you…love him too?"

"As a friend."

"Not—"

"No," Faith shook her head. "Never loved anyone but you, Buffy, even though I damn well tried to with him. Nobody has ever reached into my soul, fired me up the way you do."

"Guys?" Kennedy said tentatively as she stood in the doorway, watching them. "You might want to come in here. Willow is back."

"That was quick."

"Quick could mean two things, good or bad," Buffy whispered as she let go of Faith, but not before she delivered another soft kiss to her lips. "Come on, let's go and find out what Willow found out."

Faith nodded and wiped away the last of her tears still on her cheeks, feeling her skin run hot as Kennedy just stared at her. Shaking it off, she easily slipped back into a rather stoic mood, no emotions showing as she followed Buffy back into Willow's office.

She couldn't read Willow as she sat behind her desk, sipping a glass of water and looking slightly paler than normal. She looked completely drained and for a second it worried her until Willow looked up at her and smiled.

"I found them," she said quietly.

"Where?"

"Not…here," she replied and she took a deep breath.

"Where are they, Willow?"

"Not here, not in our world. Not anymore."

Faith felt gutted as she clenched her fists tightly together, the tears springing back to her eyes. "Are they dead?"

"No," Willow shook her head. "They're not. They're back where they belong. I don't know how it happened, how this is possible, but for whatever reason, when that building blew up, it detangled our world with theirs and evened out the balance once again. The prophecy is fulfilled, complete. We saved the world and we couldn't have done it without them."

* * *

Dean drove throughout the night and the entire day and he arrived at Bobby's place just a little under a day after the most catastrophic event of his life had happened. He spent a lot of time thinking about what could've caused this, why it happened the way it did. He never figured out the answers and he knew there were none.

"Hey, Bobby? Dean's here," Sam yelled out from where he stood on the front porch. Dean put the car into park and climbed out. "Wasn't expecting you to get here so soon. Did you even stop?"

"No," Dean said with sharp shake of his head. "Stopped for gas twice, but that was it."

"Have you eaten anything?" Sam asked him and he shook his head no again. "Come on, there's leftover takeout in the fridge. Let's go inside, grab something to eat and have a beer."

"Did you find anything?" Dean asked as he followed Sam inside Bobby's house.

"Nothing," Sam said quietly as they headed to the kitchen where Bobby was sitting at the table, nursing his whisky in his glass, a faded, foggy look in his eyes. "Yo, Bobby, you all right?"

"No," Bobby grunted. "Dean, your brother has lost his god damn mind. Telling me stories of a different world colliding with ours, demons and vampires far different than what we know, _slayers._ What the hell have you two idiots been doing? Drugs? It's drugs, ain't it?"

"Whatever Sammy told you is true," Dean said and he caught the can of beer Sam tossed at him. "I know it's impossible, but it happened, Bobby, and we need to find out why."

"Forget about why," Bobby replied gruffly and he downed the rest of his drink. "You know we won't find any answers, don't ya?"

"No, that's not good enough for me."

"It will be," Bobby yelled at him. "You don't get it, do you, boy? The stuff Sam told me is something straight out of a god damn fictional book. Time travel? Dimension hopping, portals. Give me a break. What kind of a fool do you think you're playing here, huh?"

"He doesn't remember," Sam said quietly and he frowned. "He doesn't remember the phone calls when you picked me up in Stanford and we were driving across the country to Cleveland. He said we ain't called in years, haven't stopped by since I left you and Dad."

Dean shook his head and stormed out into the living room, rifling through the books that were scattered on the desk. He angrily opened his beer and downed half of it as she shoved all the books and papers off the desk.

"I've looked," Sam said from behind him. "I've done my research. Haven't slept since I got here, Dean. Sunnydale doesn't exist, it never has. All of them? Not even a single trace. Our world is not a part of theirs anymore, Dean. Whatever answers you're looking for, we're not going to find them."

"So, that's it then? We just give up? Forget what happened?"

"Maybe we should—"

"No, no that's not happening."

"Dean, would you listen to yourself?" Sam asked as he grabbed his arm to stop him from turning around and punching the wall behind him. "We're back home where we belong and that's not good enough for you? Everything is back to the way it should be. You remember what Giles said about the balance being restored? That meant for us too. Every damn thing we've been through since you dragged my ass to Cleveland has been for a reason, whatever messed up reason that was, a prophecy or some cosmic joke they want to pass off as some test we gotta live through. Now we gotta live with knowing we'll never have the answers. Can you deal with that, Dean?"

Dean sighed as he walked over to the couch and sat down heavily. "I lost her."

"You didn't—"

"I did, Sammy. She's gone and it's like she was never there. You know what I'm feeling right now? Like there is a huge gaping hole in my heart and it hurts. "She's gone, Sam. I'm never gonna be able to see her again."

"I know," Sam frowned as he sat down beside Dean on the old couch. "But at least we got something outta this whole experience though, didn't we? Learned how to fight better," Sam said as he tried to smile a little. "Learned that there is this whole other world and more that exist, similar to ours but not. We learned that everything in life has a consequence and we witnessed that, we lived through it. Don't tell me living through all of that didn't make you feel more alive than ever?"

"But, Faith—"

"She was never yours, Dean. You know that. You need to let her go or this is going to destroy you and I am not going to stand by and let my brother willingly let himself fall apart for a girl who doesn't exist."

Dean knew Sam was right. He couldn't let this destroy him no matter how much it hurt. Faith was extraordinary and no one would ever quite measure up to her. With a heavy sigh, he lifted his beer to his lips and finished it off.

"You're right, Sammy," Dean said after a moment. "I can't let it destroy me. You are right about living through what we did. It did make me feel more alive than ever. I was ready to _die_ to help them save the world."

"Did you know?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Giles told me part of the prophecy he didn't tell the others. He was afraid Faith would try to stop me. It needed to happen, Sammy. I know that, but I ain't that god damn happy about it."

"There's nothing we can do now."

"Did you—"

"Dean, I looked. Believe me. Their kind of magic that made this possible, it doesn't exist here either."

"Gonna miss 'em," Dean frowned. "All of them. Her mostly."

"Yeah, me too."

"So," Dean said as he rose to his feet and looked over at Bobby who was looking at both of them like they'd lost their damn minds. "What do you say we look for a job, a case, get back to our lives, huh, Sammy?"

"I wouldn't say no to that."

* * *

_April 30th_

Faith stood on the patio balcony alone, watching the sun as it set beyond the buildings that surrounded the old hotel. It had been almost two months. Two long months since they changed the fate of the world and restored the balance, not just between good and evil, but between two worlds that had, for whoever reason, collided when Sunnydale's Hellmouth was destroyed. For two months all they did was try to piece it all together, try to find some answers, but nothing came through solid, nothing stuck. They were right back to where they were when the first demon attack happened, with no answers to help them find some closure, some peace of mind that what they did was for the better of their lives and the rest of the world.

Faith had gotten the urge to leave more than a hundred times since the night at the warehouse. But she never did go very far when she did leave the old hotel. Sometimes she found herself at a bar not too far, sometimes at a club where she danced for hours and tried to just forget who she was, getting lost in the music and the way it made her move. The only reason she kept coming back was because of Buffy. It all came back down to her in the end.

She still thought about Dean every day, always wondering what had happened to him during the blast at the warehouse. Willow told her what happened, but she didn't know if she believed it. She had to though, because it was the only answer she had when it came to what happened to him and Sam. Did he die or was he just somehow thrust back into his own world, somewhere else, a different time, a different place?

"Hey, I've been looking for you," Buffy said quietly as she stepped outside. "I thought maybe you took off again. You know, like you've been doing lately."

"Just came out for some air and a smoke," Faith replied as she kept her eyes on the darkening sky, watching the colors of the sunset fade away. "What's up, B?"

"I haven't seen you since last night."

"Miss me or something?"

"Little bit," Buffy smiled as she moved to stand in front of her, diverting her attention away from the sky. She loosely wrapped her arms around Faith's neck and stepped closer, smiling as Faith easily wrapped her arms around her waist. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"You know that he and Sam are okay."

"I know, B. Just can't help but think about him sometimes, you know? We spent a lot of time together. We had a lot of good times, some bad too. Dean has this way of getting inside ya in a way you can't just forget about."

"I know," Buffy smiled sweetly and she cupped Faith's face gently. "He really came through for us, Faith. He left our world as a hero."

"You think he knows that?"

"He might."

Faith shook her head and leaned in to kiss Buffy. "Let's not talk about Dean right now, B. What'd ya really come looking for me for anyway?"

Grinning at Buffy as she watched her lick over her lips, Faith kissed her again, knowing exactly why Buffy was looking for her. Even though she spent more time alone, doing her own thing, she spent the rest of her time with Buffy. Their relationship was steadily growing into so much more, each day that came and went brought on new challenges they both conquered together. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough.

When they finally did talk about what was going on between them, it had been just a day after the night at the warehouse. They locked themselves in Buffy's room and let it all out despite how hard it was for both of them to be open with their feelings and thoughts. It was also the first night Faith experienced what making love felt like and how intense it was. Buffy rocked her world, her very soul that night and she'd been doing it almost every night since.

"I've been thinking," Buffy said breathlessly as she pulled back from Faith's lips. "It's been almost a week since we've gone out anywhere."

"You wanna go on a date, B?" Faith smirked as she slipped her hands under the edge Buffy's sweater. "You wanna go hit up a club? Dance the night away?"

Buffy nodded her head slowly, smiling as Faith caressed her lower back gently. They swayed together slowly at first and Faith spun her around, dipping her back, eliciting a sexy laugh out of her. Faith captured her lips in a passionate kiss as she pulled Buffy back up.

"Or maybe," Faith whispered against her lips as she swayed Buffy with her towards the door. "We can stay in tonight instead."

"We stay in every night except when we go out on patrol together, Faith."

"Any way I can change your mind?"

"Maybe," Buffy said with a wink as she stepped out of Faith's arms and led the way back inside. Faith wiggled her eyebrows, her eyes lingering on Buffy's backside.

Faith couldn't resist and she reached out and slapped her ass playfully, making Buffy jump away from her. Laughing, they quickly made their way to the elevators and Faith hit the button repeatedly. As soon as the doors slid open, Faith pulled Buffy inside and hit the button for the top floor. She pushed Buffy up against the wall, their lips and tongues devouring each other as their hands roamed, desperate to touch, to feel each other all over all at once.

Cupping Buffy over her jeans, she took control of her, her other hand making it's way to unbutton her jeans. Buffy stopped her, of course she did, she always did. Buffy pushed her back, both of them breathing heavily as they stared at each other. Faith never found Buffy sexier than she did in that moment, looking like she was about to pounce and take her right then and there.

It was small moments like this that kept her from running outta Cleveland without looking back. It was small moments like this she'd never had before, not this way, and definitely never before with Buffy. As the computerized voice requested the password, Faith inched her way to Buffy, speaking the word aloud before she captured Buffy's lips with her own again.

The soft sliding of the elevator doors opening made them pull apart, both quickly making their way to Buffy's room, ignoring Dawn as she called out to them to get a room and Kennedy's laughter that followed. Faith slammed the door shut behind her once they were inside Buffy's room and she just stood there for a moment, watching as Buffy shed her clothes as she made her way to the bed. With a beckoning finger, she laid back on the bed, waiting for Faith to join her.

Piece by piece, Faith shed her clothes, leaving a trail alongside Buffy's on the floor from the door to the bed. Faith crawled up the edge of the bed, her body hovering over Buffy's as Buffy reached out, her hands soft to the touch as she glided them over Faith's stomach and up to cup her breasts. With a moan that reverberated between them, Faith lowered herself, covering Buffy's body with her own as they kissed deeply, passionately, lost in the moment and in each other.

* * *

_At a crossroads three miles from Bobby Singer's house…_

Dean stared at the box in his hand, a tin box that contained the very ingredients to call upon a Crossroads demon. A photograph of himself, graveyard dirt, a black cat bone and yarrow root. The idea was fleeting, the prospect dangerous, his soul at risk for what he would ask for in exchange. The ritual itself he'd found in one of Bobby's old books, found after hours and hours of searching for a way to bring back the life he'd lived before, the life where Faith Lehane existed.

Dean knew he'd never have Faith, not the way he wanted her, but that wasn't going to stop him from getting her back in his life. Two months apart, two months of not having answers, two months of the emptiness he felt inside had torn him apart in ways he couldn't even explain, not to Sam, not to Bobby or his father, and definitely not even to himself.

Dean dug a hole in the middle of the crossroads, an eerie fog rolling across the dirt road as he dug a shallow hole. Taking a deep breath as he went over the consequences, he placed the tin box in the hole and covered it. Taking a few steps back, he waited, not sure what would happen next. The book he'd found referencing the Crossroads demon didn't tell him much, it had the ritual and the offering of ones soul for what they wanted for most in exchange for eternity in Hell.

"Dean!" Sam yelled out as he jogged down the dirt road. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Get out of here, Sam."

"No," Sam replied, pushing Dean roughly. "You are _not_ doing this!"

"I am," he yelled as he pushed him back. "It's my choice, Sammy. My soul. I get to be the one to decide what happens to it when I die."

"No," Sam said as he grabbed the front of Dean's jacket. "Do you have any idea how stupid this idea is? Do you even know what kind of a deal you're making here? You're making a deal with a demon, exchanging your soul and for what? To have what should've never been?!"

Sam threw a hard punch that clipped Dean in the jaw, sending him leering and stumbling backwards, only a flash of pain and rage flooding through him before he punched Sam back.

"Get out of here now, Sam, I'm only going to tell you once."

"I won't let you do this!" Sam yelled as he spit out a mouthful of blood. "I won't let you sell your frigging soul for _her_!"

Dean grabbed Sam by the front of his shirt and punched him again, letting his unconscious body drop to the dirt road. A slow clap resounded, louder than the silence that filled the air. Dean spun around, watching as a woman in a red dress walked towards him, the fog swirling around her, dancing around her with every step that she took. He felt mesmerized as he watched her approach him, a confidence in every step, her smile resounding within him.

"A Winchester calls?" She asked, tittering as she crossed her arms over her ample chest. "Never would've seen the day."

"Who are you?"

"Some call me Amanda," she replied. "I am one of many Crossroads demons. Aren't you the lucky one, calling upon us tonight and you get me?"

"Depends on if you can hack it."

"Boy, you have no idea who you are dealing with."

"So, how's this work?" Dean asked, sizing up the demon, unfazed by the beauty of the form she appeared in to him. "I exchange my soul for whatever I want?"

"I know what you want," Amanda breathed lowly, circling him slowly. "Their balance and ours was restored and you want to disrupt it and for what? A woman who will never love you?"

Her laughter resonated through him, aggravating him further. Clenching his fists, he glared at the demon, his words buried inside of him by choice.

"It is not your time, Dean Winchester," the demon growled at him, her eyes flashing black as she stepped into his personal space, her face just a breath apart from his own. "It is far from your time."

"I don't care! Can you do it or not?" Dean asked, glaring into her black eyes. "My soul in exchange for—"

"Putting you back in _her_ world?" The demon laughed incredulously. "I'm afraid I'm going to need more than that, Winchester."

"What more do you want?"

"His soul," the demon said as she pointed to an unconscious Sam a few feet away. "Yours and his. Your request is quite…impossible, yet not entirely impossible to say the least. But the price is far more than you anticipated, boy."

"That isn't the deal," Dean said as he backed away from the demon. "One soul in exchange for one request."

"The rules have changed. Bending reality the way you want will take more than just one soul and you, Dean Winchester, your soul is priceless, but so is your brother's."

"Do it," Sam said weakly as he lifted his head from the ground. "If you want it so frigging badly, Dean, do it. Your soul and mine," he whispered and paused for a moment before he stared right at Dean. "It better be worth it."

The demon chuckled as she reached for Dean and pulled him in close. Sealing the deal with a surprising kiss, she let him go with a wink, whispering words he didn't understand.

And the world simply faded to black. The transcending tangents between their two worlds were about to meet again. Damn the consequences that would follow…

* * *

**Author's Notes: Since I had the first part of this story written before I began posting (and later decided to continue it as a second part) updates from here on out will be one chapter at a time instead of several. If you like what you've read, feedback is greatly appreciated! It feeds my muse, fuels the motivation, etc. etc... The adventure will continue soon...**


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